Always be There
by Kulkum
Summary: When the big night comes, Shepard finds her own doubts and dept to the galaxy forcing her to send him away. Regret is sometimes the most painful mistake to face. What does one do with a second chance? FemShep/Garrus
1. Chapter 1

Greetings! Some of you may know me from various reviews I've left for your stories. And being added to the Garrus Vakarian list (notable only because Garrus is that awesome)

So, my thoughts on this are that no one ever writes about the "Turn down" when Shepard actually tells Garrus that she doesn't want to spend the time before the Omega 4 relay. Mostly because Garrus is the only one who really seems heartbroken when you turn him down. At the same time, no one thinks of what could happen After she turns him down that night.

This is my take. Chapter 1. Later chapters rated M for hot Turian/Human relationship material. The likes of which would make Mordin blush. XD

* * *

The Galaxy meant nothing. Reapers meant nothing. The fate of all mankind was a backdrop that she would pass off as something else that was demanded of her. Commander Shepard, the Hero. Commander Shepard, the paragon. Commander Shepard, who had given her life to protect all races in galactic civilization. Commander Shepard, the woman who screamed that everyone and everything be _damned _because he had been taken from her.

Nowhere was safe in the middle of the hornet's nest. It should have been something she expected to see. Suicide was not a term that she used lightly in reference to anything, but it was the only way to describe this mission. She had prepared herself for it. Iron spirit tempered by weeks of preparation for this day, ready for loss, accepting of sacrifice for the good of everyone. To prove to the galaxy that Reapers were a real threat and make sure that they would survive no matter the cost. But seeing one Turian pulled down before her eyes changed everything in an instant.

As she ejected another thermal clip from her sub machine gun, Shepard could only think of the look on his face when the Collectors had surrounded him and pulled him down from the high perch that was meant to be safe. His predatory blue eyes had locked on her own for a split second. In them was a fear of something beyond his life. Then four of the insect-like beings had fallen onhim.

Now the only thing she saw was the hell spawned creation, Harbenger, standing before her. Felt the passing heat against her bare face as the thermal clip sailed through the air and landed on the hard ground. The gun revolved for one moment as another clip was slipped smoothly into place. She heard the sharp click and snap of the chamber as it prepared itself for firing again. She squeezed the trigger and charged forward as she screamed her pain into every bullet.

How had it come to this?

**2 hours out from the Omega relay**

"Hey. I brought the wine. Best I could afford on a vigilantes salary."

How was it possible for a Turian to look so ridiculously nervous but still look so incredibly good? It was an emotion she hadn't even known existed in the species before she had broached the subject of tie breakers and flexibility. His civilian clothing, something she had never seen him wear, granted him an almost softer appearance. Which was not difficult for a man who always wore armor and survived a missile strike to the face. It took nothing from the Turian, in the end. Long limbs held more strength than most humans could ever hope to possess, a slender waist, a broad chest, wide shoulders. Every inch of it plated in armor. And... Gloves?

She felt the corners of her lips twitch slightly as her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes following him as he jogged across the room to switch on some horrible club toned music. Again, her gaze were drawn to the gloves as he spread his arms as if to say 'Nice, right?' while pacing towards the fish tank without seeming to notice the movement. She knew why he wore them. They had both seen the vids Mordin had provided. Not only information on the proper way for humans and Turians to engage each other sexually, but information on what could happen when something went wrong. It had not been pretty, and he had clearly taken it to heart. The gloves were for her protection.

"If you were a Turian, I would be..."

She could not focus on his words. It was all...too sweet. She could see it in his eyes. Nervous excitement, hope, and a tenderness she had believed lost to him before he had agreed to let Sidonis live. Then there was something deeper. Something that, as he spoke about his fear of insulting her, was frightneing.

She couldn't do this. They were too close, and she knew it. This had nothing to do with 'blowing off steam' before a mission. He was her closest friend, the one person she trusted above all others to watch her six, the one gun she trusted to never miss when it counted. A fist curled itself into her gut, and the pressure in her chest was as intense as it had been the day she had allowed Ash to die or Vermire.

"..Throw me a line here, Shepard!"

But just like then, some things had to be done for the greater good. Distraction could lead to disaster. Her feelings could not prevent her from making calls that needed to be made. Calls that she knew may send him to his death. And even if they did survive, even if they all made it back from the relay alive, what chance did they have? A human, and a Turian. She couldn't risk this friendship, the one thing in the universe that was a constant and solid base for her to stand on.

"Garrus, we need to rethink this."

Her reason was sound. Strong. It was for the greater good. Why was it so damned hard to say this then?

"I don't want to hurt our friendship."

His head lowered. His mind was working over her words and she tried to read the expression on his face. As close as they were and as well as they worked together on the battlefield, some things still did not translate well.

"Yeah. You're right. Let's leave it be."

Relief was mingled with deep rooted pain at his swift agreement. Maybe she had read him wrong. Maybe he had simply been nervous about being with a human. Maybe what she had seen in his eyes had been an internal reflection of her feelings.

"Probably would have torn a ligament or something anyway."

Predatory eyes raised to her as he said this, and her outer calm almost shattered. There was no light in them now, even as he attempted to joke. This she understood. He was hurt. One gloved hand was raised to rub across his armored brow for a moment, gathering himself before he turned and made his way towards the door.

"I'll let you get back to work, Shepard. And I'll be there when you need me."

Listless. It was how she would have described his walk if he had been human. There was no swagger in his step, no confidence in his gait. He almost looked lost, with that bottle of wine held in a limp arm. She could only watch him leave. It was the right thing to do. It was for the best. It was for both of them. She had to be strong. Strong enough to stop the Collectors. Strong enough to face the Reapers. Strong enough to watch him walk away and strong enough to swallow the tears that threatened to fall.

**Present  
**

All of her training, every horror she had faced, comrades she had lost, could not prepare her for the tears. They didn't blind her to her target. It was the only means she had to release the heat of her rage as the sharpened blades of sorrow tore through her. One crystalline drop for every bullet. It was doing little good, but she couldn't find the will to stop herself. Her control was gone. Reason, gone. She only wanted to kill it. Silence the constant droning of the its words. They droned over, and over again in an attempt to shatter her will.

The few seconds that it had all taken seemed like minutes. A second thermal clip was sent flying, and still the barrier around the glowing form of Harbenger was in place. She drew another, prepared to load, unaware that her own shields were gone. Then the blunt force of a biotic blast sent her flying off her feet and into a pillar nearby. A sharp cry left her as pain flared through her like an electrical charge. Her skin cracked under her armor and every inch of her body suddenly felt as if it were on fire. Through the burn she was still able to focus on Harbenger. It walked towards her, flanked on either side by two Collectors. Each with their rifles raised and trained on her.

She tried to move, but nothing would respond fast enough. Her hand clenched painfully around her gun, but her arm refused to lift more than a few inches. She slumped back with a hateful glare. If her eyes had been weapons, the heat of her hatred would have burned the shell to ash and reached through to the Reaper at the other end. She had never in all her life felt such a burning need to destroy something.

"_I know that I've hurt you, Shepard." _

She went still, sorrow swelled to overtake her suffering. Its montra had changed, just for her. Because Harbenger had known her weakness, it had targeted Garrus and cut a wound so deep that it would never heal. Even though she knew the seconds were counting down before the core overloaded, mostly because of Jokers constant urgent reminders in her ear ear, the loss of the base had been worth the price of her falling with it. She could almost hear the relish in it's voice as it said the words again and raised one taloned hand. The glow of biotic energy started to gather mingled with another kind of power that traveled from the glowing body of the possessed Collector then up into it's arm before it started to focus in the palm of it's hand. She saw her death in that ball of glowing power.

Green mist was not what she expected. The sudden swift explosion of vapor came so suddenly that it took her a moment to realize that it was the blood of a Collector. Harbenger's hand was gone. Without it's point of focus to hold and gather the energy it had been building, even a being like Harbenger lost control of it's own biotic power. There was a sharp spread of light followed by a thunderclap of release that threw the glowing alien and those around it away from Shepard.

"Harbenger!"

Her wide eyes snapped to source of the rasping, thick voice. Which also happened to be the source of the bullet which vaporized the monsters hand. Was she dead, her death nothing more than a dream of a daring rescue by the one she had lost? Her personal Archangel, aptly named, come to take her to wherever people like them spent eternity? If so, why was she still in so much pain?

Whatever the case was, its name had been roared from the crouching Turian sniper. Garrus was fresh from battle. His armor splattered with green gore, one arm of the blue armor missing, and his entire body and face was littered with gashes from Collector claws. He looked like he had been dragged through the pits of Hell, then beat his way to the surface to focus the scope of his rifle onto the stunned form of Harbenger. He was glorious and like the Archangel he was named for, he seemed unmoved by pain. The Turian was ready for battle. Ready to kill anything that dared to defy him.

_"No!"_

The denial from the Harbinger of Their Doom, as it so often called itself, was cut short as the rifle sounded out again. With Its barriers down, the single bullet easily tore through the shell of the Collector, causing the back of it's head to explode. The same power that was used to possess the shell of a body, also caused it to rise up as it vaporized into little more that flurries of ash.

When there was nothing left, Garrus was on his feet again and running towards her. The clock had not stopped, and they were nearly out of time. She struggled to her feet and swayed. She was barely able to find the strength to stand. Pain wracked her body as she tried her damnedest to focus on survival instead of the blue armor heading towards her.

_"Assuming direct control."_

It made sense. There were four other Collectors directly in front of her. Harbenger had never been this close to killing her. It was going to try again, and again, and again, until she was dead or it was out of altered Protheans. She let out a scream of frustraition as she charged the one that had started to glow. Running on instict with pain forgotten, she shoved her sub-machine gun into what passed for the Collector's face before it had time to raise any biotic barriers. She squeezed the trigger and sent round after round rocketing into the insects armor until it broke.

"You've lost! Stay dead, God damnit!"

Ignoring the green icor that splashed her face as she fired, she saw the flare of light as Harbenger burst partially into flames. That did not stop her from firing again. Popping a heat sink, she drew her burning eyes to the Collector that was struggling to its feet beside her.

Suddenly its head yanked backwards and it went limp again. The sudden pressure of a hand wrapped around her arm and she looked into predatory blues she had feared never to see again. Sharp feelings welled within her, but she was given no time to understand. The Turian had pulled her into a full on run.

The countdown was close to a minute. The doors behind them burst open and more Collectors started to pour in. They were both taking pot shots at the Collectors. It was an attempt to hinder the scuttling bodies as they made a mad dash for the Normandy. Even when the platform leading to their salvation was destroyed by random falling debris, they didn't slow. He wouldn't allow her to slow, pause or stop. She did not allow him to slow, pause or stop.

_I'll be here if you need me, Shepard._

His words rang through her mind as they reached the edge of the abyss. Their final step landing together, their combined momentum carried them both forward and off the ground. As they flew through the air hurtling towards the hatch with Joker firing an assault riffle to cover their escape, she finally understood what he had been trying to tell her.

He would _always _be there.

* * *

First one up! R&R please! Two more chapters left to this first fic of mine (I think).


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! Sorry for the delay. Life took me, chained me, and put me to work. But I have broken free long enough to write my next chapter! Mwahahaha!

So, here is the second part. And as I promised... Reaper melting human/Turian lovin' to follow. I made this a bit.. Different from what most people depict things as. Just read, and you will see what I mean.

Forgive any grammar issues. My reader is out of town. LOL

Also, trying something I've never done before. I'll be alternating between Jane and Garrus' points of view. Let me know if you think it works out. :)

* * *

Three days beyond the Omega 4 Relay

Day one had been spent making certain that the Normandy would not fall apart during the trip back to the Citadel.

Day two had been spent in the MedBay with one doctor on either side berating her for walking around with what looked like first, second and a few third degree burns over 30% of her body.

Day three they had docked at the Citadel, and repairs were now fully underway.

Even feeling pressure from more than one side about the Reapers and preparing the races of the galaxy for the impending assault, Commander Shepard had found it impossible not to give her crew some leave while they were docked. Given the fact that all of the crew was now loyal to her even after she had cut all ties to Cerberus, something that surprised her even if she had rushed in to save all of them from being turned into the base atomic paste that had been used to build the baby Reaper, some had even asked to remain behind to assist with repairs to the Normandy. She could not hold the swell of pride, to see so many assisting the dock hands with the repairs to their stations. Most didn't trust outside hands to meddle in their work stations. Others simply wanted to ensure that they were as prepared as they could be to face what was certain to be an even more devastating foe than the Collectors who had nearly killed them all.

The ground crew, on the other hand... She had forced them to take time off. The battle with the Collectors had been a back and forth ground war, with a small group of elite troupes facing off against an army of mindless killers. To say that it had been the most bloody, and exhausting two hours of any of their lives would have been an understatement of laughable proportions. Every one of them would bear scars from the battle, and every one of them would wear them with pride. Except perhaps Legion. She wasn't even sure that the Geth could feel pride.

But she knew what she was feeling. Three days. Even given how close she had come to losing him, and how the very idea that he would no longer be 'celebrating' at all odd hours in the main battery had turned her into a screaming lunatic bent on killing either herself or Harbinger, she had not been able to bring herself to face him. He had to have seen the way she reacted. Calm, cool, collected Commander Jane Shepard. Reduced to screaming tears as she had blasted away at the cause of her pain.

The blasting away part was very much her style. The tears on the other hand. Those had been beyond her control, and even Harbinger had known the cause for them. Had planned it, even. Had they been that transparent, that even during the brief, violent encounters with Harbinger the Reaper had been able to see how much the Turian meant to her?

So close. She had come so close. The empty feeling started to creep it's way back into her as she neared the mess hall. It might have continued, had it not been for the humorous voice of Joker. What he was saying made her pause just out of sight, leaning against the wall as she ease dropped on what could easily have been a bard telling an epic story of heroics. And that was not far from the truth.

"So, there was the Commander, with four Collectors standing not two feet in front of her. And Harbinger. You know, the glowey Collector that always pissed the Commander off." There was the ever present note of humor in the pilots voice as he spoke, though as he continued the tone dropped as he recounted the tail to whoever happened to be listening. "I could tell it was talking to her, but I couldn't hear what it was saying around the world falling apart around us..."

The monotone, somewhat friendly voice of EDI interrupted the story long enough to fill in the blanks. "The entity known as Harbinger said 'I know that I've hurt you, Shepard.'"

Silence followed that. The sort of silence that came when people were digesting something surprising to them. Shepard herself was silent, as she remembered the depth of black sorrow that had almost overcome her in that moment.

"It's good thing the rest of this story is so awesome, or that might have been depressing. Thanks a lot, EDI," Joker continued. "After saying... That, I could see the build up of biotics in the thing's hand. It was getting ready to do who knows what to the Commander before suddenly POW! I'm not even sure what happened here either, but I know Harbinger and all of his buddies were thrown back. And the next thing I see, Garrus comes out of nowhere. Even from that distance, I could hear him when he crouched down with his armor torn, looking like Hell warmed over, and was all like 'Harbinger!'"

Shepard could almost see Joker at this point, doing his best with his weakened limbs to act out what he had seen, doing his best to mimic Garrus' voice in the process. His voice raising with each word as he got deeper into the story telling. "Then, POW again! He pops one right through Harbingers head without even blinking. I'm tellin' you, Kelly, it gained Garrus fifteen points on the kick ass meter. Almost makes it worth putting up with the stick up his ass for so long."

Shepard was silent and lost in thought as Kelly replied to Joker. Why was she hiding from it? With how close they had both come to dying, it was understandable that she be afraid of loosing him. Admitting this to herself was not easy, but the obviousness of the facts staring her in face had her feet moving before she had even fully made up her mind. Or had she made up her mind the night before, when she had searched the Extranet for information on Turian mating customs?

Not how to have sex. How to form a bond for life.

Whatever her reasons had been, she had made up her mind now. Face straight and determined even as her heart beat against her chest in a way she had only felt in battle before. But determination faltered, and her steps came to a sudden stop when her eyes turned towards the door to the main battery.

Soft green met with predatory blues as her Archangel stormed across the mess, heading towards her like anyone would expect a predator to run down it's prey.

* * *

It was ridiculous. Everything about it was ridiculous. Why was he still standing in the main battery? It had been three days from the moment he had almost lost her. A miracle he had heard some of the crew calling it, that she was not dead. It had not been a miracle in the way they thought of it. Not some miraculous moment, where something impossible had happened that had changed the outcome of the evens on the Collector base. It had simply been the reaction of a pissed off Turian about to loose his mate.

His mate.

_His _mate.

The idea was simply idiotic. Hadn't she been the one who had turned him away the night before the relay? Hadn't she been the one to tell him that it would be better not to harm the relationship as it was now?

Hadn't she been the one he had seen driven into a state of near madness after watching him 'die'?

The question drove home. Garrus knew very well that what he had seen had not been an illusion, or some overly romantic aspect of his mind suddenly pulled from the depths of his heart by the beating the Collectors had given him. He had heard the beginning, as she screamed and charged him with her gun blasting away at Harbinger. And he had seen the end, when she had lain listless. Almost looking ready for death to take her. But it was the way life had returned to her when she saw him that struck him with true clarity. As if a reason to fight had suddenly been given back to her, driving her to move despite her injuries and break Harbinger before it had even managed to fully "assume direct control."

_Then, _the Turian asked himself as he stared at some calibrations that he had finished over an hour before, _where is she now? She was released from medbay yesterday, and she hasn't even come by to check on me. Then again, why had she turned him away the night before we hit the relay?_

Fear. Simple fear. To think that Commander Shepard, hero of the Citadel, savior of all sentient species in the galaxy could be afraid was preposterous. And as accurate as he was with a sniper rifle. She was not the only one. Here he was, brooding in the main battery wondering where she was. Why was he here? Why had he not stormed up to her quarters and demanded answers? It would have been well within his rights. The desire to preserve their friendship was no longer acceptable, and yet he had remained secluded and moaning like a youth bemoaning the end of his first love affair.

Awkwardness aside, the male released his hold on the panel in front of him, oblivious to the marks his claws had left in the metal as he turned sharply on one heel and made his way out of the battery. He would be damned if he allowed his own fear to prevent him from showing her what she meant to him, at the very least. He had come too close to loosing her, too close to watching as Harbinger picked her apart before he had been given a chance to raise his gun to defend her.

The heavy falls of his armored feet on the metal structure was drowned out by his sudden need to speak with her, at the very least. If the idea of storming into her quarters and demanding answers only to be interrupted by the act of ravishing her on the floor of her cabin was romantic, then he would give into the idea that he was about to romance his commander. Either that, or be court marshaled for assault. Either one would have been preferable to waiting.

He saw her round the corner into the mess. The look in her eyes was as determined as his own, though she would never hold quite the predatory edge in her gaze that he could. His surprise at this was not even given time to manifest itself. He did not pause in his steps towards her, or slow his pace. Not even a glance was given to those in the mess. Even as Joker went silent and Kelly, seeing Shepard first and then Garrus stalking towards the Commander, hardly tried to restrain the giddy grin that came over her face. The tension between the two was so tightly drawn that there was no where else to go but towards each other, and anyone but an idiot could taste it in the air.

Which was why Joker seemed inclined to open his mouth to address Garrus. Something that prompted Kelly to jump out of her seat and slap her hand over his mouth as their Turrian crew mate stormed past them.

Garrus noticed none of this. His gaze was on his commander, and the fact that she had stopped her forward motion as he drew closer to her. Like prey, fleeing from the claws of a staving hunter. But no. He followed her as she backed into the hall, further towards the elevator with her gaze never dropping from his. She wasn't running from him. She was drawing him out. Bringing the hunter to where she wanted him to be, something that every instinct in his body called out to. This female was not prey. This female was an equal, she was a hunter that led hunters, and any thought that her eyes could not hold the same predatory spark as his own was banished when he saw her hand slide to the call button for the elevator.

His advance only stopped when he was toe to toe with her, staring down at this woman who had gained his trust, his admiration, his undying loyalty, and at the moment set fire to arousal he had never experienced before. Even no more than fifteen feet away from two very aware crew mates, he was hard pressed to keep his hands off her. Something that seemed mutual, as green eyes moved over his face as if to commit him to memory.

Unspoken demand was accepted by both as the door slid open, and the rest of the world was officially shut off. Even before they were fully through the doors, she and reached for him in the same moment that he grasped her hips and shoved her back against the wall, pinning her against it with the weight of his own body. One of them, maybe both at different moments, pushed the button that sent them rising towards her quarters. Neither one noticed much for a moment beyond that. Her scent was drawn in deeply as he buried his face into her hair, nuzzling his way quickly under the dark cascade of silk to set his mouth to her throat. Morrdin had warned against biting, but when his teeth found the tender flesh of her throat with enough passionate ferocity to break the skin her only reply to him was a cry and fingers that grasped his fringe and pulled him closer. The sound had been anything but pained, and the fact that her hands were now frantically working on the clasps and hitches that held his armor in place. How she seemed to know where every one was would have been a mystery to him, had he had the mind to care at the moment with his tongue lavishing the smooth flesh of her throat with lingering attention that flooded another of his senses with her precess.

They were precise by nature, the two of them. Military, soldiers. This efficiency branched into everything it seemed, because the second the elevator door opened she lept up into his arms with her legs wrapped around his armored waist. Something that surprised him enough to raise his mouth from her neck long enough to look into her eyes. From the hesitant woman who had sent him away a few nights before, there was nothing in her eyes now but basic need and demand. Even if he had wanted too, he doubted he would have been able to extract himself from her easily, and his gaze told her much the same.

With no need for words, his only reply was a rumbling growl that rose up from his chest as his hands grasped her hips. The differences between her and a Turian female were not lost on him, but the exotic way her flesh gave under his grip only excited him further as he carried her through the door into her personal space. Thumps followed every step that he took, as his armor started to fall away once piece at a time, not one piece of it of his own doing, until he stood only wearing the lower portion of his armor. Shedding one armored hide for another, one that welcomed the touch of her hands on his plates as she tightened her legs around him. He felt his blood heat when she released him with her hands only, and trusted him to keep her aloft as she pulled the top of her causal uniform over her head. Not two seconds later, the strange undergarment (a 'bra' if he remembered correctly) was unclasped and quickly tossed to the floor.

* * *

She was fully insane now, she realized. But seeing the broad plates of his chest bare to him had spurred her to offer the same. Insanity had never looked quite so good to her. Even though Mordin had warned her against too much body to body contact for fear of chafing, she wasn't paying him any mind. And he didn't seem to give much of a damn at this moment either, as his eyes grazed over her as if he wanted nothing more than to devour her whole. He handled her as though she were tiny. Handled her as if she were a woman, instead of Commander Shepard. Spinning her around until her bare back was pressed against the cool surface of the fish tank. The heat of his body pinning her in contrast to that sent tiny bumps flaring to life over every inch her her skin and caused her to arch herself closer to him.

The moan that tore itself from her throat sounded almost as alien as the growl that rolled up from his. How long had it been? Since Kaiden, back on the SR-1? That was nothing like this, in so many ways. Everything Garrus did sent tiny shocks of pleasure through her. Trying to reach for the clasps to his lower body armor, she found herself hindered as he shoved her hands aside in favor of stripping off his gloves and flinging them to either sid_e. _Before the idea of protest was given time to form, his hands gripped the waist band of her pants and with frightening ease sliced into the material. She wasn't sure what he did beyond that point, but she knew that a moment later he was forcing her legs from around him to set her feet on the ground as he lowered his head to her chest. He seemed to realize the need for care in this area, even if it only served to frustrate her need for something more. But when his tongue, long and agile, wound it's way between her breasts as he searched out her nipple she could not hold back the cry of his name and frustration seemed a lost point as he nipped the hard bud with a gentleness that betrayed the way his taloned hands continued to strip away her pants.

Lower. She realized in a daze of lust as she tilted her head back to face the ceiling. He was heading lower, with the hot flesh of his tongue and the hard bites of his needle sharp teeth leaving trails of burning lust down her belly. There would be marks, she knew. There would be a lot of marks, if she had her way because this was just the beginning. He lifted one leg, and forced her to balance herself on one foot for a moment before he draped it over his shoulder. A moment of concern for allergic reactions was replaced with a moment of confusion when she heard the rasping growl of his voice float up towards her. She had never heard that tone in his voice before, and that combined with understanding of what he had actually said caused the heated ache between her thighs to double. "I'm glad I'm not allergic to humans."

Maybe in another time and place, she would have cared enough to wonder how the hell he knew that. Maybe if she hadn't noted the heat of his breath against the outer lips of her sex in the moment that he pressed forward, and slipped the length of his tongue slowly along the outer lips of her sex. Her knees buckled, and the clicking rumble that rolled through him shot right into the center of her being causing her to loose her ability to think. The fact that he started slow was not to set the pace as he did what his eyes had told her he had wanted to do, burying the length of his tongue into the hot depths of her body in a way that caused her to clench around him. Bragging rights were all his, and she would not deny him later. She was stunned as the electric shock sent her over the edge at a speed she had never believed possible. The shuttering cry of his name was repeated as she folded herself over him, her hands alternating between grasping his fringe and using his shoulder for support as he feasted on the fresh taste of her arousal, her orgasm coated his tongue in the salty sweet flavor of her obvious enjoyment.

What was actually seconds was lost time for her. She couldn't decide if she had been floating in that intense wave of lust for days, or less than a second. All she knew was that as she came down from the high, it took her mind a moment to focus on reality again. Realizing that she was once more leaning against the fish tank, and had the burning eyes of her soon to be lover were on her as his mandibles flared in what she had come to know as a pleased grin. A pleased grin, backed by the feral glint in sharp blues that gave her a message as clearly as the thud of his leg armor landing on the floor. They were just getting started.

* * *

He was finding nothing but pleasure. If this was madness, he wanted nothing more than to wallow in the outer edges of his own insanity. The aching need was not as distracting as it had been before, mostly because instinct was telling him that his need would be sated tonight. Instinct, and the fact that he heard the scratch of his mate's fingernails as she grasped his shoulders. The taste of her was unlike anything he had ever known before, and even as she trembled and cried out his name he would only slide his tongue deeper. Surprise and pleasure both rolled through him in the moment that she reached climax. Eager lapping slowed to longer, deeper explorations of his tongue that seemed to draw her pleasure out longer. He would need practice and further exploration would be need, but he was certain he would be up to the task.

She didn't seem to realize it when he drew away from her, setting her leg back on the floor as he backed away and started to unfasten his lower body armor. Relief flooded him when the pressure around his groin was released, the flood of cool air over his aching length causing him to release a low hiss of pleasure before he stripped the rest off quickly. The moment her eyes were able to full focus on him, he watched her gaze wander lower before resting on the purplish-blue hue of his cock. Seeing her eyes widen at the sight of him should have made him uncomfortable. The questions of what would she think, how would she react, was she frightened should have battered his mind.

Of course, the fact that her lips parted to allow the moist passage of her tongue when her gaze darted back to him removed any chance of that happening. The clicking growl that rose from the depths of his chest caused her pin her back against the wall again, and spread her arms in invitation to him. An invitation that he did not hesitate in accepting. Now bare claws grasped her thighs unrestrained, and the throaty moan that parted her lips when he pressed against her again was music to his ears. Never had a Turian female caused him to react in this manor. Never had he wanted nothing more in the world than to full loose himself in the need that threatened to overwhelm him. All questions of the sanity, or lack of sanity, in what they were doing meant nothing as he hoisted her up high enough for the tip of his length to nestled against the wet heat of her folds.

Sinking into her was like finding everything he had ever lost in his life all over again. His chitin again her soft skin, the cooler body of the human against the blazing heat of his own. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before, and he was helpless to stop his own body from driving forward. The first thrust of his hips impaling her fully, until his hips rested against hers, and the slick walls of her core quivered around him in reply to the rough entry. She threw her head back in a throaty moan, which allowed him access to the slender column of her throat. The already purple bite he had given her before covered again by the eager embrace of his mouth while his mandibles fluttered against her skin in delight. The pleasure was beyond belief. Unaware of his talons biting into the flesh of her hips as he lifted her up again, he only knew the rise of pleasure as he bucked his hips forward to meet her body when he dropped her again.

* * *

The sounds of flesh meeting hard plating filled the room, mingling with breathless cries and throaty growls as the two expressed their need for each other. Jane was lost in the moment she felt him slide into her. Had she not been so wet already, the minor sting as he drove himself into her so fully would have hurt like hell. But the pleasure overpowered the sting, even if she would ache for it later. She didn't give a damn at the moment. She only cared about the fullness his entrance granted her, and the sharp sting of pain mingled with pleasure when he bit into her throat again. He was marking her, she knew. This was a mark that was not meant to fade away within a few days, and she would make sure that no Medigel touched it.

This was heaven for her. Giving him what she had denied them both with her own insecurity and fear. Savoring the flood of heat that raced through her when his growls deepened. The savage pace was only right. This was how Turians mated, and she felt as much as he did the desperate need to feel that both of them were alive and unbroken after being pushed through hell. As hard as he thrust into her, she would push down to meet him just as hard. For every inch he gave her, she signaled her need for more as her nails raked down his armored back with enough strength to leave her own mark on his body.

Sex had never felt like this before. Never had there been such a need to reach the peek with anyone before, but now she found herself commanding and begging for him to fuck her harder in the same breath. The steady pace as he took her against the fish tank grew more frantic, and the wall itself became a hindrance to each thrust, to such a level that he pulled her away from the wall altogether. She tightened her grip on his back as he continued to lay claim to her in the middle of the room. Being handled in such a way before this moment would have seemed almost beyond her. She wasn't the most feminine of women. She was a warrior, and a soldier, and a Specter. She had gained the respect and fear of countless people and species across the galaxy.

And now she gave herself to the one who had gained her trust, her friendship, and her love. Without complaint, reservation, or hesitation she gave her herself to him with everything a woman could give to a man. Her breath whispered against the side of his face, as her lips brushed his damaged mandible and her voice hummed into the sensitive plating that covered it. "Claim what is yours. For all time to be true. Take your mate, and become _my _mate. For everything I want, and everything I need is around me and within me at this moment."

* * *

So close. She was so eager for him. She met his passion moment for moment, and met his pace thrust for thrust. Such an eager lover he had never known, so compliant. The fact that she was Jane Shepard still was enough to stun and touch him as much as excite and arouse him. When he feared hurting her, she would cry out to him and pull him closer. When he would have paused to think that his pace might be too hard on her soft human body, she would buck her hips to meet him thrust for thrust. Even the inner walls of her sex seemed intent on making certain that the pace was not interrupted, squeezing around him as he withdrew and greeting him with a flush of heat as he drove himself into her again.

And he was nearing the edge of his ability to control himself by any means. Biting her throat and shoulders, digging his talons into her hips, no doubt causing untold amounts of chafing as his body met hers in unrestrained lust. It wasn't until she started to speak that he truly understood what it meant to have no control over anything. The stunning moment spurred instincts to life that he had never expected, and the sudden peak of his lust was well beyond his control. The growl that rolled through him increased in pitch when he reached his climax. A sound somewhere between a moan and a snarl leaving his mouth as pleasure bolted through him like liquid fire and he felt the bliss of release finally come.

As he shot spurt after spurt into her, he felt her clench tight around him in all ways. Her arms clutched at his back, while her legs squeezed his hips and the inner walls of her sex quivered before clamping down around the throbbing length of his cock. Her cry of his name was beautiful to his ears even as he tried to linger within the pleasure as long as possible. Her scent surrounded him now, from the sweat of her skin to the lingering heat of her arousal. To even question her by asking if he had pleased her would have been laughable given the fact that he would actually feel her trembling against him, and could feel the contented moans that she pressed into his mandible along with a rain of kisses.

Passion spent for the moment, he felt his knees weaken and did not bother to fight it when he went down to them in the middle of the room. Keeping her held close to him, sliding his hands from the clawed curve of her hips around her back so that he could hug her against him. Both were content for a moment to breath slowly, gain their breath and perhaps some level of sanity. It wasn't long, however, before the Turian raised his eyes to her and held her gaze.

There was contentment in her eyes, and underlying hints of nervous energy. He had not replied to her words yet, after all. He had not denied, or accepted them. Drawing a slow breath, he leaned close to her and pressed his forehead against the damp flesh of her brow for a long moment. Watching as her eyes drifted closed, he was almost certain she knew what this gesture meant. "What is mine is with me now. My body, my heart, and the essence that makes me who I am I give to you in return. My mate, Jane Shepard... Vakarian? Does that sound alright?"

* * *

Content. She could never remember feeling more content than she did at this moment. She doubted she ever would feel more content, at least not until the Reapers were not breathing over one shoulder. But she did not feel that this moment could have been more perfect. She also felt full. She would have to wonder on the effect it might have on his ego if she took mind to inform him that he was without question far more endowed than any of her past lovers. Not that there had been many. She trembled as he still throbbed within her after climax, and carried her with him as he dropped to his knees. The continued trail of light kisses that she pressed along his mandible and eventually his throat before he lifted his head to look at her.

Moment of truth. His eyes told her that he had very clearly understood her words, and the meaning behind them. Far too relaxed, almost to the point of feeling like a bowl of well stirred jello at the moment, only a hint of nervousness came over her. The lingering question of what he would want from her in the long run. The fact that they had just had the best sex of their lives didn't mean he actually wanted a commitment from her. Or wanted to commit to her, after all. She was ready for anything. At least, that is what she told herself.

The press of his plated forehead against hers own sweat damp one caused her to blink once slowly before he he began to speak. Here was the safety of the world. The man who had saved her life more times that she could count, and trusted her to do the same. She was a warrior, and a savior. The question had always been, who did the Savior of the Citadel turn to? Who could she lean on? The arms that held her now gave her that answer silently, as the words that rose in the pleasantly appeased rumble that caused her to shiver again slightly. The words her spoke were the second part of the Bond, and she felt a thrill race through her. She'd never actually felt giddy before, so when the last part came out as a question she couldn't suppress the giggle that escaped her. A sound that made Garrus look at her, as if confirming for himself that she was actually still Commander Shepard.

"Information about that sound never leaves this room, Soldier." She cracked a grin at him, and slowly ran her hands up and down along his shoulders. He was alive, and hot against her. And inside of her, something that caused a flush to creep up across her entire body when she took a mind to focus on the fact. She could already feel mild discomfort starting to form in areas where he had bittin and scratched her, but the sensation of both only further enforced the fact that she was where she belonged. No delicate flower, no young girl who needed to be wooed. Her Turian had given her exactly what she needed in every respect.

"And yes. That sounds just about right to me. Of course, they can't start calling me Commander Vakarian right away," she joked, smirking at his playfully pained expression. "Though I have to wonder how my flexibility measured up?"

She had a feeling that she would become very familiar with the look her gave her in that moment. And the soft clicking growl that rose in his throat as he easily pulled himself to his feet with her in tow, carrying both of them towards the bed they had not managed to reach yet. "I'll let you know, when we are finished."

She was more than welcoming once her back was pressed against the cool sheets of the bed, her arms drawing him closer to her so she could press her forehead against his once more. This is where she wanted to be. Reapers would come, there would always be battles to fight across the galaxy, the Council would get on her nerves no matter what she did, and no there was no doubt that the Illusive man would have some arguments about the fact that she fully intended to keep his ship and his crew, but it would all be fine. Because there was one, unbreakable truth in the universe that meant more to her than anything.

In Garrus Vakarian she had a comrade, best friend, lover, and mate. And through everything she faced, he would always be there.

* * *

Thus under part 2! Three times longer than the first one, 15% romance, 5% unimportant reference, and 80% smut! LOL Sorry, I ran a little wild with this one. R&R for me, let me know if I should continue this thread. I have more ideas moving forward. Sorry for the delay again!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry, no sex in this one. Not really. But a lot of sexual reference to go around, in just about every way possible.

The next chapter will be sexy again, and following that maybe I'll throw in some drama for good measure. Don't worry, I am going somewhere with this. It's not just a random bunch of stories.

* * *

Twelve hours later.

She could hardly move. Four hours of sleep had certainly not been enough to allow her to recover from eight hours in bed with Garrus. Not that every last moment had been spent having sex. Just... Most moments.

Sex might not have been the word for it either. It was like finding what joy there was in life again; remembering that the universe itself held happiness and pleasure in sacred moments like this trapped between the struggle to survive. She didn't envy the people who were allowed to live their lives like this. Days where both the man and the woman would come home from a simple but honest days work, talk about their days over dinner in their planet side home, and then make love before falling asleep in each others arms. Those were the people she was fighting for, and she wouldn't have changed that if given the chance.

But sometimes, even a soldier like her could have little day dreams as the hot body of her Turian lover lay nestled against her back. The fact that her daydreams included someone who was very far from being human didn't matter to her. In some ways it simply amused her to think of him walking into their home on some out of the way colony, saying something completely off the wall like 'Honey, I'm home!' like she had seen on an old Earth vid once. The very idea of it, even in her sleepy daze had a throaty chuckle bubbling out of her that tuned into a full laugh a moment later. The sound, or motion, or both was quick to awaken the man beside her. Something that made her laughter fall off as she snuggled back against him when his arms squeezed around her midsection to pull her closer against him under the covers.

"Hm... Something funny, Shepard?" The fact that the low rumble of his voice gave her an almost heady feeling of euphoria allowed her to forgive the fact that he was still calling her Shepard instead of Jane. That and the fact that against everything she might have expected given how long they had been in bed, she felt his erection nestled against the curve of her rear only moment after he stirred to wakefulness. That caused a hot flush of pleasure to roll through her. As a soldier, it was sometimes hard to feel like a woman. And given the way he had handled her the night before, and the fact that being close to her clearly excited him on such a level, she was feeling very feminine for the first time in a very long time.

"Oh nothing. I was just wondering what it would take for me to domesticate you." She grinned as she felt him shift to sit up on one elbow and look down at her over her shoulder. Turning to look up at him while doing her best to keep a serious face, as if she were actually considering something. "You know. A job planet side, maybe teach you to cook since I would most likely set myself on fire if I tried, some fuzzy slippers and a four poster bed on a quiet hillside? Oh, and maybe a dog! We can name her Miranda."

Had she not nearly been high on her good mood, she would have been able to hold the serious face longer to keep the act up. Which would have been worth it, because the Turian leaning over her was looking at her as if she had sprouted wings and suddenly grown mandibles of her own. But it only lasted for a moment before she burst out laughing, turning to bury her face into the pillow as she reached back to pat the un-scarred side of his face lightly. After a long moment, where he simply leaned over her and patiently enjoyed her laughter, she managed to take a deep breath and look up at him again. "I'm sorry, Garrus. But the look on your face was.. Oh that was classic."

The twitching flare of his mandibles told of his good mood, and the humor that sparkled in his predatory eyes was only slightly overshadowed by the hunger she saw in them. But it was more than enough to send a slow tremble rolling through her as she felt his talons easily sliding down the curve of her side, stopping at her hip to take a firm hold as he arched his own hips against her. Somehow, the hard plating behind the just as hard erection nestled against her only added to her desire. Maybe because she knew it was Garrus, or maybe because she wasn't a soft flower of a woman in general. But he seemed to know exactly how to set her off, as he leaned close to her with a clicking purr against her ear as he replied, "Somehow, I can't see you in this situation with a 'domesticated' male. Who would scope the mercs trying to sneak in on your flanks? They are very nice flanks, by the way."

Laughter might have come at his last comment, had they not come as he nipped the soft lobe of her ear. She had to wonder how in the hell he did that without giving her an unwanted piercing, but it was something she could not bring herself to question as tiny shocks of pleasure coursed through the skin along the back of her neck when he did it. A firm press of her hips into his hands and her buttox into his already throbbing length was as clear a sign that she could give. She ached, but he was very quickly making her forget that fact as the moan that slipped past her lips told him.

That moan, however, was interrupted by toneless voice of the ships AI, which seemed to come from all directions at once. "Commander Shepard, XO Lawson is searching for Officer Vakarian in regards to the delay in repairs to the main gun. Shall I inform her that he is otherwise occupied?"

Had they not already been hidden under the covers, she might have been far more embarrassed than she already was. A soft groan that had little to do with arousal pulled itself from her throat before a slow sigh left her. They really did need to get back to work sometime. Half a day was a long time in the life, even if they were technically on shore leave. "Inform Miranda that he will be in the main battery at..." She paused, as she glanced at the time. "0800."

"Understood, Commander."

When silence followed, and it was obvious that they were alone again, she felt Garrus start to breath beside her, something which caused a grin to form as she turned her head to place a kiss on one mandible. "Duty calls. Just remember, domestication has it's advantages."

Her grin grew when he snorted and to find his own way to get her back for teasing him, one rough hand easily slipped forward along her body to cup the soft mounds of her breasts. Such a sudden touch, along with the way his rough fingers brushed along her nipples caused a cry to escape her before she twisted out of his grip. Indignation the face she turned towards him, though she could tell by the Turian version of a grin that he wore that he was pleased with himself. "Fine, no domestication. But I gave you fifteen minutes to meet with Miranda, so get your Turian ass out of my bed before she sends out a search party. I'm going to take a shower."

It wasn't until she started to walk towards the shower that she realized how much effort she needed to put into keeping herself walking in a straight line.

* * *

The interruption by EDI had not managed to kill his good mood, really. Being stopped in the middle of a seduction was not the ideal way to start his day, but Garrus decided that nothing could actually frustrate him. Even given the unsatisfied desire, he could hardly say that he was not sated. In fact, he was pretty clearly stunned. Mordin had warned him about humans apparent inability, or lack of desire, to engage in sex more than once or twice in a given night. He had a mind to give the Salarian something to think about with a story about how his human lover had not only engaged in sex more than twice, but had all but ravished him every time their eyes had met.

Watching her stumble towards her bathroom caused his mandibles to flicked in amusement that he didn't even try to hide as he pulled himself out of bed. The fact that he was still erect irritated him just a bit, something he would be sure to take out on Miranda with a snarky comment or two, but otherwise he managed to pull himself together within a few moments. Gathering his scattered armor (How exactly had one of his gloves ended up under her bed while the other one dangled on the edge of her desk?) and starting to snap everything back into place with the ease of someone who lived in it, he was allowed a moment to clear his mind.

His reluctance to leave was obvious, but he was not a recruit with a crush on his commanding officer. While the idea of slipping into the shower with her was tempting, he knew she had set a time limit that he had to follow. Aside from the fact that it would keep Miranda from asking too many questions that he didn't want to answer, she was still a person he respected more than any other. The fact that he was her lover... No, that wasn't right. She had made it very clear that lover was too simple a term for their relationship. He was her mate now. While that might have afforded him more leeway than most on the ship, he was not going to be the type to ever test it. She needed a weapon at her command as much as she needed a mate at her side. He would find a way to become both for her.

She deserved it. She had _earned, _it a thousand times over and knowing her, she would earn it a million times more.

These thought still running through his mind, he clipped on his left glove while he head for the door. The fact that his mind was distracted by such thoughts wasn't the exact cause for his surprise when the door slid open in front of him. More that he was not expected to see the reflective surface of a Quarian face plate heading in the other direction.

Both of them froze. While he couldn't see the look on her face, he could see the way her arm was frozen in mid reach for the call button next to the door. What he could see was the look on his own face in the reflective surface of that face plate. Wide eyed, mandibles flares out slightly in shock, frozen almost in mid step. Seeing this caused his mandibles to draw close to his face in embarrassment. What the hell was he supposed to say now? His eyes followed the slender arms of the Quarian as she set her hands on her hips. Hips that cocked to the side slightly as she stared at him. He couldn't see her face, but he simply knew that she was grinning at the stunned embarrassment on his.

"Tali. Uh. Hello. I was just talking about the Collector mission with the commander, and..." He blinked slowly as she stepped towards him. Towards him when he had no space to step around her in the narrow doorway, something which caused him to take a step back. And then another, as he lamely tried to continue. "Now, I have a meeting with Miranada in the main battery..."

He swallowed, visibly, as he took another step back and the woman in front of him glanced around the room. Following her eyes, he could not hold back the groan that left him when he noticed that Shepard's clothes were still scattered around the room. Including parts of her clothing that made the Turian wish he could crawl deeper into his armor than he already was. Combined with the fact that a running shower was very obvious in the background, he was one embarrassed male.

As if on cue, when all he wanted was for Tali to either let him have it and get it over with, or give him a chance to slip through the door and hide in the main battery for a week, the sound of a running shower stopped. A hint of panic clutched him, as he gave a low growl to the obstinate women in front of him. "Tali, Shepard won't be..."

"Garrus? Are you still there?" The sound of Jane's voice filtered through the bathroom door made him freeze, and Tali raise her hands to the voice synthesizer at the front of her suit. "You really should be more careful with my clothes. My bra is ruined. I'm not complaining, mind you." She seemed to insist on continuing to talk even as Garrus buried his face in his hands. And continued to wish he could simply vanish, even as the door to the bathroom opened and a wet Shepard stepped out wearing nothing but a white towel. And some very obvious bite marks on her neck. And her shoulder. And her hips. And scratches on a few other parts of her body that were visible. "Next time we..."

And the look on her face when she saw Tali standing there was all it took for their Quarian to fall into peals of laughter, very much at their expense.

* * *

Once Garrus was gone, and Shepard was dressed, she joined Tali on the couch as the Quarian engineer looked at her with a posture that she knew meant her friend was excited and expectant. While Shepard was not exactly one to share intimate details, it was impossible to refuse the only woman on the ship that she actually liked, and considered to be a friend. Certainly more than bossy Miranda, bat shit insane Jack, or Kelly, who could have talked the ear off a Vorcha in ways that would have made it impossible to regenerate. So she sat on the end of the couch while watching her friend, feeling only slight trepidation. She wasn't even sure what was running through the other woman's mind, despite the obvious fit of laughter that had taken her after catching her and Garrus with their pants down, so to speak.

"So," Tali began, mercifully sparing her from having to strike up the conversation herself, "I was wondering when the two of you would get together."

It was enough to leave her stunned. Something that she herself had not even considered in the past, and it was obvious enough that innocent young Tali had noticed it? "What..?"

"Oh come on, Shepard. I might have my head stuck in the engines most of the time, but anyone could see how you two behaved around each other." Un-phased by the stunned look on the Commander's face, she continued, "I mean we all know that you have the habit of checking up on everyone, asking questions, just talking. But every time you went into the main battery, you would disappear for a while. Joker said you were trying to work the stick out of his ass, whatever that means, and Kelly would always get this dreamy look on her face. At least until Zaeed grumbled something about the Turian getting more tail on a ship full of humans than a human could. And I'm rambling now, because I just realized that I walked into my Captain's cabin without actually being invited, and I'm questioning her about her love life..."

"Tali!" Calling her name was the only thing that did finally shut her up, which made Shepard sigh slightly in relief before reaching over and placing on hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's not like you hacked my door to get in here. And at least you're not Miranda. Now that would have been a moment to remember."

She could have sworn she felt the smile from her friend, followed by soft laughter. The tension that had built in the air slowly eased away as she settled back onto the couch. It was her turn to talk, before Tali went on another triad of information that made her want to throttle half of her crew. "I didn't know it was so obvious. I mean, I didn't even realize it myself at first. The idea never even crossed my mind on the SR-1, you know... With Kaiden, and..." She allowed her voice to trail off before she shook herself out of a daze and looked at her friend. "I know that when I first saw him on Omega, when he took that helmet off and I heard the sound of his voice, it was the first time I think I really felt like myself. Like something in the galaxy might have been working for me again. Then I came close, too close to loosing him."

She was forced to swallow the memory of two things. Watching him gunned down in the middle of a crappy apartment on Omega before a missile took half of his face, and watching him pulled down by the Collectors, thinking that her only chance to make things right between them again had been stolen from her. She had to draw on the fact that she was a Commander in the middle of a war to calm her sudden desire to break down into tears. "Twice. I came close to loosing him twice. The first time, I promised myself that I wouldn't let him down again, that no matter what happened, I would find a way to keep him on this ship with me. And the second time..." She paused as she remembered the fact that she had been the one to hurt him the night before they hit the Relay. Absently, one hand reached up to rub over the spot on her neck where he had bitten her in the elevator.

The distant look that had come over her face kept Tali silent for a long moment, until Shepard felt a gentle, gloved hand on her shoulder that made her raise her eyes. "It wasn't just a one time thing. You love him... Don't you?"

The smile she gave the Quarian was unlike anything she had ever seen light the face of her Commander, and it was one that she would never forget.

* * *

Annnnd... Part three is done! I was going to make it longer, but I figure that you may have waited long enough. That combined with the fact that it was a good stopping point, and the next part is just as good in it's own chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Five Minutes Later, OX Lawson's Office  
**

No time for breakfast, he had discovered. Which was unfortunate. He was hungry enough at the moment to consider risking death eating some of the odd fluffy yellow mush that Gardner almost always dished out to the human crew in the morning. Almost. He was also hungry enough to consider a blow to the back of Miranda's head to knock her out long enough for him to slide away for some food. Of course it wasn't the first first time he had considered blunt objects meeting the back of the dark haired woman's head, but that was another matter.

Right now he was standing at ease in her 'office', if the fact that her rather large bed was clear in the background made this an office. His hands clasped behind his back, eyes watching her as she sat at her desk. She had met him halfway to the main battery, and quickly changed their direction for a few words. A few words that had her sitting at her desk, the holographic screen of the console in front of her flickering to life as she seemed to review some notes while he waited. He had nothing against Miranada, really. Aside from the fact that she had very clearly been a Cerberus go-getter for all of her life, and her degree of disinterest in anything non-human beyond how she could use them. But according to Shepard, she was that way with everyone.

That was what they had believed, anyway. His opinion of her had changed quickly when she had learned that Shepard had cut ties with the Illusive Man over the destruction of the Collector Base. She had stayed with them, and even with all of his checking of files, com traffic, free time, and a silent request for Thane to keep his eyes open for any sign of discontent from the XO, she had shown no sign of discontent. As Shepard had put it, "She's human in the end. No one with a soul who sees what was happening in that base would be unchanged by it. She saw it, and I think she understood what Ceberus would do for it. Everyone has their limits, Garrus. And they pushed her past them."

He could certainly understand that. But knowing it did not mean he didn't want to throttle her the moment she looked up at him with a gleam in her eyes. It was the sort of look one only gave when they knew something, most often more than they should have known. He braced himself the moment she opened her mouth. "Rumor has it that you spent the night in Commander Shepards quarters, Officer Vakarian."

Unexpectedly blunt, and to the point. But he preferred it that way, in all honesty. Better this than the run around, or the slow torment of silence that Tali had treated him to a few minutes before. The statement of fact, rather than a question on her part caused his mandibles to twitch once before being drawn tight against his jaw. Keeping his expression as calm as possible, his eyes focused on her as she folded her hands on the top of her desk. She wasn't going to continue, he knew. She was going to sit there, and stare at him. Stare at him until he spoke in reply to something that wasn't even a question.

It was nice to know that she was still an irritating bitch, even if she wasn't curled around the Illusive Man's little finger anymore.

"Actually..." He couldn't believe he was about to say this, but be damned if he was going to let this woman get the better of him at the start of this conversation. He gave a moment of 'consideration' just to make her wait for it, before he raised his head. "EDI? Can you give me the exact length of time that I was inside of Commander Shepard's quarters before coming into XO Lawson's office?"

"From time of entry at 19:24 Galactic Standard Time, to the time of exit at 07:54 Galactic Standard Time, Officer was in Commander Shepards quarters for twelve hours, eighteen minutes, fifty seven seconds." The mono tone of voice of the ships AI was very clear in this number, but apparently found that the question was not sufficient. "Would you like information on the various areas around Commander Shepard's quarters where this time was spent?"

"No! That will be all, EDI!" The two in the room spoke at the same time, and glanced at each other in distress. Garrus certainly didn't want Miranda given detailed information on how long he had spent in various parts of her cabin, and Miranda was very certain that she didn't want _that _much information. Period.

One thing was certain, given the fact that predatory eyes could detect an increase in pink along the flesh of the human's throat. He had gotten her, even if the ships AI had managed to make it backfire just a bit. But the XO refused to lower her eyes as she stared at him in silence, lips drawn tight as she seemed to consider something. "This is not an Alliance vessel," she began with an ease he had not expected. "So, as you know, a great many of the rules and regulations one would find on an Alliance ship do not exist. However..."

Taking the swifter path, Garrus decided to interject before the brunet was able to continue further. "You're not going to change anything." Garrus could see the slant as her eyes narrowed on him. Not a threatening, or irritated look. She was weighing his every word even as he spoke them. "Shepard has given everything anyone can be expected to give. She's given her blood, she's sacrificed friends, and she even lost her life. She has devoted herself to protecting people who don't even acknowledge what they are being protected from, people who manipulate her and use her while denouncing her in public. Why she chose me, I don't know and I am not inclined to question her choice in the matter. For as long as she needs me, and as long as she wants me, I am going to be there for her in every aspect of her life that she allows me into. I know that you've left Ceberus, and I know that you follow Shepard. But do not for one minute think that I will stand here and let you try to decide what is best for her while using protocol as an excuse!"

The last words left his mouth with a low growl of annoyance, and one armored finger jabbed in her direction to emphasize the point. Miranda watched him as he spoke, and he could see the wheels in her head turning as she studied his face. He relaxed his stance again, and returned to standing at ease before her while he waited for her to speak. "That is a lovely sentiment, Vakarian. Shepard needs your kind of devotion, maybe off the battlefield as much as on it. I've seen her gain the trust and respect of everyone on this ship, but sometimes a more personal connection is needed. Even if her choice in that respect is somewhat.. Surprising."

The last word caused his mandibles to twitch once. Mildly surprised by the ease of her words, and her lack of anger as his outburst, he could only give a small nod in reply before she continued. "The 'however' before you interrupted me was in reference to a request that you perhaps try to be more... Discreet about things?" The knowing smile that curved her full mouth caused him to tense slightly. He had seen the sort of look, moments before a drunk Krogan would gleefully charge into a good bar fight. "Kelly had some... Interesting things to add to your personnel file."

He watched with growing unease as she produced a pad from the top of her desk, running her finger over the screen as she read over the information there. He knew already that she was back in charge of the conversation. Talking had never been his strong point, and it certainly seemed to be one of hers. Clearing her throat, she began. "I quote, 'Turian displays of dominance and possessive behavior in regard to Commander Shepard. Advise careful monitoring in regards to male members of the crew displaying signs of attraction or sexual interest.'"

Mortified was the only word he could use to describe what he was feeling as she continued. How much had the Yeoman seen? He wasn't left wondering for long, when she continued.

"'I do not foresee any issues, as she seemed receptive to these behaviors. On a personal note, after seeing the way he looked at the Commander, I have never wanted to be a Turian woman more in my life."

It was enough to draw a disconcerted groan from the Turian, one hand raising to his head in his attempt to remove images of Kelly as a Turian from his mind. He had no doubt that someone like her would have been very popular on a Turian vessel had she been. Eyes cast towards Miranda for a moment, his sheepish embarrassment was apparent even between species. "I will make sure that we are more careful."

She managed to keep her expression neutral as she gave him a curt nod in reply. He wasn't certain if he should be greatful for that calm exterior, or if he should throttle her for getting the best of him. Deciding that a swift exit would be best, he inclined his head to her slightly before he turned and made his way towards the door.

Something stopped him, however. A pause born of a sudden thought, and idea that made him come to a full stop as he turned to face her. Seeming distracted now, she did not notice that he had remained in the room until he spoke up again. "Shepard told me that you were the one in charge of... Project Lazarus? The project that resurrected her?"

He could see the shift in her mood from smug humor, to something more serious. She laced her fingers together, and set them on top of her desk as she watched him in silence for a long moment before responding. "I was in charge of the project, yes. Two long years. And after seeing the Collector station turned into a ball of nuclear fire, I know that every second was worth it."

After hearing that, he was put more at ease. His shoulders relaxed, and he felt a great deal of tension leave him. _No longer the Ceberus stooge, but like the rest of us she's been pulled to the side of the force of nature that Shepard seems to be._

And she was the one who had lead the project that had brought her back from the dead. Back into his life, moments before she had saved that life so that in the end he could find the means to save hers. "Thank you, Miranda."

Her face remained impassive for the most part. There was no sparkle in her eyes, no 'you owe me on' from her lips. There was realization in the way she looked at him in that moment, and the fact that he had used her first name. Two people who could not have been more different, who came from backgrounds that would never have allowed them to meet and become comrades save for one woman and Commander. He had been there when she had needed to protect her sister, because Shepard trusted him. How much Shepard trusted him, and how she had chosen him to help protect her sister had been enough for Miranda Lawson to understand that Shepard had truly wanted to help. Like many things she had come to realize since coming to work under Shepard's command, it was almost humbling.

And now he was offering his thanks. He never would have thanked Ceberus, and would have suffered a fate worse than death before he would have given any hint of thanks to the Illusive Man. But she had been there, she had been in charge of overseeing the project that had brought Shepard back into the galaxy that needed her, and the Turian that loved her. And while she had been working for the Illusive Man, and had been with Ceberus at the time... Now she was just XO Lawson, a member of the crew that would watch Shepard's back and carry out her orders in the hard times to come. He hoped that she would understand, in any small way what this meant. To him. And to Shepard

Her simple, sincere answer told him all he needed to know.

"You're welcome."

She understood.

* * *

Shorter chapter. Something I had planned on doing, but figured I would let it out so that the timing would not clash with later events/plot line

Miranda haters! I tease her, I make fun of her, and her attitude is sometimes annoying. But the fact remains, she stays with Shepard even after ties with Ceberus are broken in game. And she shows that she had a heart in the mission to save her sister. I felt that someone should thank her for all her work to bring Shepard back. Because, you know... ME2 would sort of suck without Shepard. :D

Next chapter will contain lovin, I promise. :-p


	5. Chapter 5

Really sorry for the delay in this post. Work is toying with me lately, and time has been short. I like this part of the story. I think it reaches into an area not many people look for in Shepard; the actual woman. But that's just me. I'm a sap, as my readers already know. :)

Hotness follows. Cover your virgin eyes!

No beta reader again. Sorry for errors.

Deeper story will be starting next chapter. I'm taking this to the end, folks. The voices in my head are speaking Turian and they say "Write, damn you!"

Thus, I write. :D

* * *

**Citadel: 14:26**

Storming was one of many words he could have used to describe the way she exited the elevator down from her meeting with the Council. Other words might have included furious, raging Krogan, and the often used human term 'pissed on'. Or was that 'pissed off'? Neither one of them made much since to him, though he expected he would be angry if someone pissed on him. So it was decided, the phase he was looking for was 'pissed on'.

"Every time you leave the council chambers, I can't help but notice how pissed on you look, Shepard."

As furious as she looked, the swift stop him her steps as her eyes zeroed in on him when he spoke made him wonder if he had mixed them up. The slack jawed stare of Taylor beside him made the turian a little nervous, causing his stance to shift from from his left foot to his right foot as he waited for some verbal reply to his words. Had he said it wrong? had he crossed some taboo that he was unaware of? Was Shepard about to fly off the handle after the stress of dealing with the Council?

She burst into laughter after a moment, which made the armor clad male blink slowly in confusion as his Commander and mate dropped her hands to her knees as gales of merriment poured from her. It relaxed him, and perplexed him at the same time. Every day he decided that he had figured humans out, and everyday he was left scratching his fringe in confusion. Most often by the human he loved above anyone. Folding his arms over his chest, and tilting back a bit to lean his hips against the railing as he watched her laugh and snicker at what he was certain was a joke at his expense. The fact that Jacob was now snickering along with her, while nether one of them would explain why only proved that fact. "While I am glad I managed to stop what was sure to be a rampage through wards, it would be nice to be let in on the joke."

It was easy to see that Shepard was finding it hard to contain the all but mythical giggle that even he had only heard once in the time he had known her. The fact that he had promptly been ordered to keep quiet about only furthered the mysterious status of it. Still, she drew herself up and walked over to him. The sparkle in her blue eyes caused his heart to beat just a notch faster, and the fact that her arms wrapped around him despite the fact that they were very clearly in a public area made a low purr rise in his throat. The sound itself made her grin grow, even though neither one of them could actually feel much of the other through their armor. "Leave it to you to turn me from near psychotic rage, to laughter. What would I do without you, Garrus? And it's 'pissed off', not 'pissed on'."

"You really should consider writing a book, Vakarian," Jacob interjected as they walked towards the rapid transit cabs. "You would make a fortune on laughs alone."

His mandibles twitching slightly, as he looked between the two humans. The banter was relaxing, though he knew soon enough what the Council had said to Shepard would come into the light and kill the mood. Determined not to let it kill Shepards mood too quickly, he shrugged slightly in reply to Shepard. "You would go on, save the galaxy, fight the good fight. It is good to know that I have more use than the size of my gun, though."

The silence that followed his statement made him pause his steps and turn to look at his companions. Jacob had one hand covering his mouth, clearly trying to hide his smirk as Shepard tried to hide the fact that her face almost matched the color of her armor. What had he said? Was there something wrong with the size of his... "Wait. That isn't what I... I wasn't trying to compare..." Sighing, he rubbed his hand over one plate along his forehead for a moment before he looked to Jane. Who was just now returning to a more normal color. How was it that a flushed human looked so damned good? "You know what I meant. I'm going to shut up now. Maybe I can spend the rest of my shore leave without putting my foot in my mouth."

"Uh huh. Well, you two have fun," Jacob added, and returned to the strict military upbringing that he fell on so easily. Standing ramrod straight, he gave a crisp salute to Shepard. "I have a date in Afterlife with what time I have left to relax. With your leave, Commander."

Commander Shepard gave him a nod in reply. "All hands to the Normandy by 07:45. We leave dock at 08:00. Dismissed."

Garrus watched as the dark skinned man dropped his salute and nodded before jumping into the rapid transit cab. Once he was off, Garrus turned his gaze to Shepard. Even something as simple as remembering the time of departure had set her back into business mode. And the Commander was now thinking about the Council again. He could see it in the set of her shoulders, and the way her soft lips turned down into a frown of annoyance. He said nothing, however. Simply stood beside her until the next remote cab pulled up in front of them.

Once within, with their destination set, he turned his eyes to as he leaned back in the overly comfortable seat. Predatory eyes taking in every inch of her. She was tense. Something they had told her had set her on edge, but that was really nothing unusual. If she had left the Council chambers with a smile on her face, Garrus would have been certain that they had somehow indoctrinated her to play nice like a good Specter.

But this was also their only remaining day before they returned to what they always did. Fight the good fight, with her standing at the helm of it all. While she watched the window during their trip, he decided to risk putting his foot in his mouth one more time. "Jane, I want you to forget what the Council said for the rest of the day."

He couldn't be sure what caused the surprised look on her face. Maybe it was the fact that the silence was shattered by the low resound of his voice. It also could have been the fact that he called her by her first name, which he knew still caught her off guard sometimes. He wanted to be clear, however. He wanted her to know that he was speaking as her mate, as her lover, and as her friend rather than speaking as a subordinate under her command. One slow blink later, and he was sure that she understood it. The small smile that came to her face was not fully relaxed, but the fact that she wasn't threatening to drop pod him onto the nearest Geth infested planet meant that she knew he was not over riding rank. "We have a lot to do, Garrus. And we're not going to see much help in this. I'm starting to wonder if all of this has been for nothing."

Things she would never say to anyone else. Things he knew he would never repeat to anyone else. He reached over and allowed his fingers to slip through the silky tendrils of her hair slowly, a simple motion which caused her to close her eyes as the tips of his talons brushed along her scalp. "I remember when we called the attack on the Collector base a suicide mission," he began. "Suicide, because the odds were stacked so far against us that the idea that any of us would come back alive was almost laughable. Half the people who knew where we were going never expected any of us to come back. And yet, every person who went into that battle with you came back alive. You're a woman who thrives on making impossible things possible. And every time the Council has told you differently, you've been able to walk into that Chamber and say 'Look, you bureaucratic bastards. I didn't need your help after all. And yet again, I saved _your _asses.'

"We, your crew, have faith in you. Not because you're some icon of hope for the galaxy, but because we know that you give everything you can to do what you know is right. And that you will _never _stop until you've finished what you started." He had come to know her well enough to understand the fact that she was grateful for his words, just by the look in her eyes.

Follow that with the way she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck to draw herself closer, while the cool touch of her armored fingers on his fringe caused a rumble to rise in his throat, her next words did not surprise him all that much. "All right then. No more thinking about the Council, Reapers, or how we're going to pull off our third miracle in just as many years. Once we get back to the Normandy, we can..."

Her words were cut off, when the low growl that her touch on his fringe had started was pressed into her ear. He breathed her scent in deeply once, savoring the spice of her deceptively frail skin before he spoke in a gentle purr. "We're not going back to the Normandy. We're going to my place."

He could tell that she hadn't been fully focused on what he was saying, mostly from the fact that her head was tilted to one side to expose her neck to him as a shiver raced through her body. After a few moments of nuzzling, she seemed to catch on to what he had said. He met her gaze when she lifted her eyes to him, her brown drawing together for a moment as she looked uncertain. "There are repairs to oversee, and I think I should..."

Again, he was her mate when he placed on talon over her lips to stop her protest. It wasn't hard to see the surprise. She wasn't used to this, and honestly he wasn't either. That didn't mean he wasn't allowed to feel the slightest bit of smug male pride when his mate did grow silent under his touch. Even going to far as to part her lips invitingly when he traced the tip of his talon along the soft flesh of her lower lip. "Miranda has everything under control. We can afford to take a little time to ourselves."

He could have sword she was almost considering telling him to go to hell, and get them back to the ship so she could be Commander Shepard for a while. Surprise lit her face as she processed his words fully, and his mandibles quivered in amusement when the next words left her mouth. "Since when do you trust Miranda with anything?"

* * *

**Garrus' Citadel Apartment: 15:12**

The heat of the shower was enough to drain a good bit of the tension from her body, though it was not enough to actually remove any of it. With Garrus in the bedroom ordering enough food to feed half the crew of the Normandy, she was alone with her thoughts. And as much as she tried to remove the subject of the Reapers and the Councils lack of any form of support aside from "allowing" her to continue her investigation from her mind, she kept drifting back to the subject. She was furious about it, though it had toned down to a slow burning aggravation now, and in quiet moments when she didn't have the warm breath of her lover against her neck she found it easy to forget Jane and remember what Commander Shepard was required to do.

It was a moment that she knew she needed to handle sooner or later, but she was resistant now. She had promised Garrus that she would forget them, just for tonight. Going back to being Commander Shepard could wait one day, and she knew that when the time came he would follow her into Hell for the third time without questioning, without flinching, without even thinking that there was another direction he could take. So as his mate, she would not question his desire for her to relax.

So she told herself. Just one night. No worries. No cares. No responsibilities. Anyone else could have said it was an easy thing to accomplish. But as images of Harbinger standing over her, broken and defeated by the loss of the one person she could ever remember loving on such a level, filled her mind...

Heat that did not come from the steaming water pressed against her back. The heat of the turian still stunned her sometimes, and she had taken the habit of sleeping without a blanket at all since they had become intimate. Even as the felt the plates of his armor ride along the curve of her spine as his talons caressed slowly along her hips, she reveled for a moment in how oddly right it felt that he was not human. Awkward at times, there was no doubt about that. But only slightly more so than two virgins of the same species trying to find out how things fit together. And they were both adept students at making things that shouldn't work, worked. The fact that she felt his erection pressed shamelessly against her caused her to arched her back outwards while pressing her hips back against him.

Yes, they were both very good at it.

The galaxy no longer existed. Only this little world. In the shower, pressed between the heat of one male as water rained down over them.

"I've come to distract you." She loved it when he whispered. Something in the fact that he could speak so softly, and yet loose nothing of the resounding quality of his voice sent goose-bumps flaring to life all over her body. Especially when it was spoken against her ear, with his hands taking a firm grip on her hips in reply to the arch she pressed towards him. "Tomorrow you can worry. Tonight..." His words paused and he only continued speaking as she heard the talons of his feet taking hold of the slick tiles as he gave a slow grind of his length against her rear. "Tonight I'm going to remind you what we're fighting for. Tonight we're going to make up for any lost time, and I'm going to fuck you over every square inch of this apartment. Tonight... You are mine."

What could she say to that? While they had only been lovers for a short time, she had never quite expected that level of dominance from him. Combined with the fact that 'making love' had turned into being fucked, Jane Shepard felt Commander Shepard fall far, far into the background as arousal sparked. The sudden ache and burn between her thighs had her struggling not to writhe against the tall turian as she felt the length of his arousal throb against her with as much need as she felt. "And what makes you think I'm even in the mood, Garrus?" What she had intended to be a quip at humor came out in a voice so shaken that she almost felt the desire to regain control of herself. Almost.

Feeling the rasp of his long tongue over the rim of her ear was just a prelude to his words, and actions. "I can smell you. The idea excites you." Proving his point, she parted her stance as her hands pressed against the shower wall when one of his hands slipped forward and between her thighs. She didn't need to wonder what he found there. The coarse touch of his talon slipped over the slick, and more than willing folds of her sex, tearing a cry from her throat as she vaguely recalled that he was a predator. Turians had a better sense of smell than humans, something that she had no doubt would come in handy in the future.

She could no more deny the truth of his words than she could find any reason to deny him when his hand slipped away to grasp her hips again. She nearly whimpered when she felt him draw back, almost complained before she felt the shift of his hips against her. The oddly tapered tip of his cock nestled against her sex, a cry torn from her throat as he drove his hips forward with enough force to fully sheath himself within her. The fact that he so perfectly fit within her was startling to her, and perhaps it was the urgent speed of their fire love making that had prevented her from caring enough to notice anything but the full feeling he gave her.

Now? She felt nothing but the need to push back against him as she felt his length throb within her. All other thoughts were gone, beyond the desire she felt for him to move again. He did not disappoint her, and as if reading her mind he withdrew at an achingly slow pace. At the point of growling at him herself, the sound was cut off when he drove forward again. Teasingly slow withdrawals following by powerful, merciless forward thrusts quickly filled the shower with unabashed cries of delight and growls of lust from the two lover. For the first time she could ever remember, Shepard found it a necessity to claw at the slick walls of the shower in a vane attempt to gain some means of centering herself. It didn't work; not even slightly gaining ground as the muffled slap of plated hips meeting the toned flesh of her rear filtered into the air, shock-waves of pleasure rolling through her each time she felt him hilted within her.

It was not something meant to last more than a few moments. Partly because it was such a primal, simple way that it could only be called mating and partly because she was so aroused by his behavior. In any event, Jane was rocked to the core when her climax hit. The sudden crushing wave of pleasure burning through her in a way she had never expected before, heaving breaths giving way to silent strain. She couldn't even find her voice to scream as talons bit into her hips and roughly pulled her back, one final powerful thrust given before she was sent over the edge by the feeling of her turian lover reaching his own climax within her. Pulsing, throbbing, straining as her name escaped him in a rolling his that told her that he had enjoyed this as much as she. Spilling liquid heat into her as she squeezed almost painfully around him.

Covering her, keeping her in his grasp, hip to hip as the last sparks of pleasure left them both in an afterglow that was anything but satisfying. She understood the sensation. The sex itself was fantastic, and normal people in their place might have been run thin by such a passionate event. But they were made for each other. The Arch Angel, and The Specter. They were anything but normal, as their relationship alone was enough to attest to. And tonight, they both knew that this was just the start. They would maybe make it far enough to eat before they were on each other again, maybe not. Maybe they wouldn't even make it out of the shower, or would make it out of the shower only to have him prop her up onto the sink in the small bathroom to have his way with her again.

And she understood what he was doing for her. By controlling her, by being the dominant in their time alone tonight, she understood. Tonight, he would call the shots. Tonight, he would take control from her because it was the only way. The only way Commander Shepard would be allowed to rest. The only way _she _would be allowed to rest. No control, no duty, no responsibility except to give herself over to the man she trusted more than anyone in the galaxy.

Tonight, she could be Jane.

Finding the strength to push herself away from the wall, one arm reached back so that she could slide her hand around his neck. When he leaned forward to meet her gaze, the smile she offered him was soft and so many levels of adoring as she whispered, "Thank you."

For a man who sometimes seemed to have trouble putting two sentences together without stumbling over his own words, when it counted most he sometimes seemed to know exactly what to say. When his eyes met hers and held, she wondered if this would be one of those times.

"You never need to thank me for loving you. It's like thanking me for taking my next breath."

Turning in his arms, Jane couldn't fight the desire to lean in close and press her mouth to his. Even knowing that turians did not kiss this way didn't seem to stop her from doing so as she squeezed him so tightly that the plates against her bare chest dug in painfully. She didn't mind. He didn't seem to mind, even after a clumsy start, and held her close to him as the water rained down unnoticed around them.

Food would wait for a long, long time.

* * *

And thus another installment. More action/drama next time. And further installments will include:

Fast pace action!

Heartbreaking drama!

Space battles of epic size!

And yes, of course... More Shepard and Garrus lovin thrown in for fun.

Working on next part now. Hope to have it up by the end of this week.


	6. Chapter 6

As promised, I am working hard to get these out as quickly as possible. Reviews inspire me to write faster, you know. So if you like the story, and want to see more... Review!

Spelling, Grammar, and any other mistakes must be forgiven. I have no beta!

Positive love general humor in this chapter. Mostly. :-p

Oh, and because I have not said it before... I own nothing from Mass Effect or Mass Effect 2, the makers of the game, the characters of the game, or the Reapers no matter how bad ass it would be to have a pet Reaper.

* * *

**Garrus' Apartment: Citadel 06:12**

"I don't expect an explanation," he heard Shepard say as he snapped the leg plates of his armor into place. "Without the say of of the Council, you are not getting on board my ship. I don't care if it's Cerberus tech, it is not being used for those reasons."

Eyes following her as she stalked across the room, already in full armor herself and ready to be Commander Shepard again, Garrus watched as she ran her hand through her hair aimlessly before releasing a low sigh. "Look, I would let you on board under normal circumstances. This is nothing about me trying to hide secrets, and I would be more than happy to have EDI transfer every bit of tech we have to your database, but we are leaving dock in less than two hours. There is not enough time for you have a team of engineers picking through systems that have just been repaired to begin with."

Not even trying to hold back his grin as he locked his gloves into place, the turian pulled himself up from the bed to stand beside her as she turned a pained look towards him. It wasn't real pain, while he might have mistaken it for such before he had met Shepard, but melodramatic pain that he understood to mean she wanted to reach through her communicator and choke the person on the other end. It wasn't that which drew his attention the most, however. Commander Shepard was back. She was back, but without the listless sense of crushing weight uncertainty she had carried from the moment the Collector base had been destroyed.

No, there was fire in her eyes now. The same fire he had seen when she had passionately explained that she would stop Saren, defeat the Reapers, no matter what the cost. Back in the days when he had been stunned to find that, even when she would have given anything to reach her goal she had still maintained a level of honor and lawfulness that had left many who had met her with more respect for the Specters than they had ever felt before. Back in the days when a Reaper had fallen on her head, and she had limped out with a broken arm and a few dozen bruises but alive against all odds.

That fire, that life was there now as she ended the call with some human admiral or another. A curt agreement that when they next docked, the techs could have free run of the Normandy as long as nothing was changed ended the conversation and she cut the link before blue eyes rested on him. Her stance was that of his Commander. Her eyes were those of his mate, with a totally different sort of fire. One likely born from the fact that she was still walking with a bit of a limp.

"I wonder if anyone will notice that," he commented, trying to keep the most absent and unconcerned tone of voice he could manage as he played at adjusting his armor while watching her with twitching mandibles.

"You are aware that we're on duty again, Officer Vakarian," she stated in an almost all business tone, holding just enough of an edge of humor to it to let him know that she was open to more playing. They were not actually on duty until they reached the Normandy. Everything in between now and then was fair game.

"Of course, Commander." Playing along in his own way, his stance changing to stiff Turian military ease; hands clasped behind his back, head tilted upward slightly with his mandibles kept neatly against his jaw. Choosing the keep his comment on how her eyes travels over him when he did this to himself, he kept his eyes straight ahead like any good soldier. "Shall I begin by debriefing you on the events of last night? There were some spots where I wasn't sure I would make it."

Because they were alone, the hint of a blush that started to come over her crept up in only a light shade on her cheeks and she managed to keep a straight face as she walked towards him. One hand ran along the armor that covered his chest, and as he struggled to remain still, the turian was more than aware of the fact that her hand wandered down further than it should have. Even if the armor prevented him from feeling anything at all in that area, the implication of what he could feel her doing made him shift a bit in place. "Maybe later, solider. We can go over the events of our shower next time we're off duty."

He knew that she was trying to get a rise out of him, and he was surprised that he was able to keep his face impassive when he turned his eyes to her. Holding strict control, as tightly as possible because having an erection inside of heavy battle armor was not at all comfortable. "Which time? I seem to remember ending up in the shower three times."

His mandibles finally relaxed into a grin when she smirked at him, moving her hand once more to pat him on the chest twice before she backed away slightly. "That's not my fault. I seem to have a weakness for hot alien men soaking wet and growling in my ear. I'm allowed my vices."

If anyone was allowed a vice or two, he figured it would be her. His head cocked to the side in an almost bird like manor for a moment as the two of them shared a grin before he dropped the militaristic act and stepped over to the far wall to retrieve his rifle. The fact that he had a mount on the wall for various types of weapons had not been a surprise to her. The fact that there was an image of her on the table below that rack had been, given the fact that he had not returned to his apartment since her death. When she had questioned him about it, he had felt a distinct desire to play it down. He didn't want her to think he was some turian stalker, obsessing over his superior officer and holding her like some idol of war. But playing it down seemed to disappoint her, so he had quickly corrected himself.

_Look, Jane. You have to understand. You were like a mentor to me, someone I could look up to. When I wanted revenge, you taught me the difference between that and justice. Taught me that the quick, violent method is not always the right one. I had seen you do things that even I thought were not possible, and you did them without loosing your need to do what was right. I felt like you were so far away, but you talked to me as a person._

_And honestly the idea of being more than friends didn't cross my mind until you brought the subject up for me. __Human. Turian. Together? But I was just fooling myself. Convinced that because you were human, it was impossible. So convinced, I didn't even realize why I stared at your picture at night after you died. Didn't realize, until I saw you cross the bridge in Omega that most of who I was had died when you did. I wasn't there to kill mercs, and I wasn't there for justice. I was there to kill what little of me was left without you._

While he had noticed her disappointment at his dismissal of the picture, he had not expected to see tears brimming in reply to his confession. They had not fall, however. Her insistent kissing and touching had made certain of that. It was the one time that night when she had taken control, and he had allowed her. He wasn't even sure which one of them had needed comfort in that moment, but they had both taken it.

He looked down at the picture now as he snapped his sniper rifle to the back of his armor. It was one taken in his last days on the Normandy SR1, before he had left the crew to enter Specter training. Training he had never started, as the word of her death came before he even received a reply to the application.

In the picture, she was smiling at the one taking the picture. Smiling at him. This was why he kept the picture, and why it had affected him so after her death. She wasn't smiling because she knew he was taking a picture of her. She was smiling at _him _with those blue eyes sparkling, watching him as she walked...

"Hey, Garrus? You might be interested in knowing that the real thing is standing right beside you. Or would you like me to leave you and myself alone for a little while longer?" Her gently teasing tone drew his gaze from her image to her in the flesh, her warm smile now a lightly teasing smirk. "You still have fifteen minutes before you need to head back. You feeling the need to take that into the bathroom and daydream in private?"

As long as it had been and as much as they had done, he found himself in moments where he couldn't believe she was alive, talking, fighting, standing beside him. And most stunning of all, apparently as in love with him as he was with her. And now joking with him, as he playfully narrowed his gaze. "Why would I take the picture into the bathroom when I can just take you?"

She gave a (very un-lady like, he noted) snort in reply to his words as she checked the status of her own weapons out of habit while glancing up at him from the corner of her eye. "You can take me anywhere you want," she said with a sly grin turning her lips upward when his mandibles twitched once, followed by a short but obvious growl rising in his throat. She let the click of her sub machine-gun's heat sink snap him out of it before she patted the blue armor over his chest. "Though we might want to wait on that. I'm mostly certain that the Reapers are not going to stop themselves."

"And we have to get back to the Normandy," he added as she drew back, drawing himself upright. "I would trust Miranda with the repairs and general operations, but I'm not so sure about some others. I'm not sure how you managed to keep Jack from starting an all our brawl with her, but now that the mission is over..."

He could tell that the subject caught her attention. Knowing Shepard and how she got to know her crew was one thing. But he had felt from the start that Shepard had formed some sort of connection with the broken girl who had never been allowed the chance at a normal life. Had reached her, on more than one level. Watching her stop Jack, who had never had any trouble killing anything, from killing someone who wanted to restart everything that haunted her? It would have amazed anyone, and it may have saved what little sanity had been left in the biotic. But this would not be the first time she had wondered whether or not the tattooed biotic would remain after all was said and done with the Collectors. Before leave, Shepard had made it clear that anyone who wanted to leave, could leave. No questions, no expectations, no guilt.

But one way or the other, he knew that the question would be answered once they returned to the Normandy.

* * *

"If you would give me a moment to explain..." The voice, with it's unmistakable accent belonged to Miranda. How it was that woman walked around looking like the cover girl for every intergalactic swim suit catalog, had a voice that sounded like it belonged in every teenage male's wet dreams, but was still able tear a Collector apart with her mind was sometimes beyond Shepard. The fact that she been bred to be perfect was obvious, in her biotic strength and physical skill as much as the way she looked. That didn't stop her from getting on Shepard's nerves every now and then, however.

"Explain what, cheerleader?" Wondering if Garrus could see the light brighten behind her eyes at the sound of the former convicts voice ringing through Operations, Shepard increased her pace. Those two were at each others throats again, which was no surprise at all. Stopping when she saw Jack, already aglow with biotic energy, ranting next to the holographic image of the galaxy with Miranda standing as calm as ever no more than a foot away. "Explain the fact that you've ejected my shit from the ship? That you took my fucking bed? Are you trying to give me a hint, bitch? Because Shepard said I could stay, and I have no fucking problem painting the deck with your pretty face if you think..."

"Stand down, Jack!" With as much confidence as she could push forward given her still slightly unsteady legs, she stormed towards the two of them until she was standing between them. She very quickly felt a rush of deja vu given the fact that she had been here before, and felt as exasperated as she was pleased that Jack was fighting for her place on the ship. That meant she was staying.

Holding the murder glaring biotic at arms length, Shepard turned to face Miranda. "Lawson, report."

With her constant poise and business like way of handling just about everything, it surprised Shepard when Miranda looked pained as her eyes came to rest on the Commander. Everything else about her was, as she had been called before, Ice Queen classic. Calm face, lips betraying nothing of her emotion as she stood straight and nodded. "COmmander, there has been a misunderstanding. I was..."

"You were trying to slip me out the airlock while no one was looking! Damn it, Shepard," she began, starting to pace like a caged wild cat. "I came back from a nice, relaxing night getting trashed with Zaheed and Grunt, you know.. Teaching the tube lizard how to drink like an actual Krogan. And when I get back this morning, my fucking cot is gone! I'm gonna..!"

"Jack, I said stand down!" Shepard sighed in frustration, not a little bit of that coming from the fact that she _knew _Garrus was watching with an amused smirk behind her. Turning back to Miranda, she did not repeat herself, simply cocked an eyebrow as she folded her arms over her chest.

Trying again, Miranda continued in her ever composed tone. "Commander, I am well aware that you allowed Jack to remain on the Normandy. Given her performance against the Collectors, I felt it only fair that we provide her with a more comfortable bed."

That stopped Jack's pacing dead in it's tracks, and almost had Shepard pulling a double take. Damn it. Now she could feel Garrus' 'I told you so' smugness at her back. "You what?" Jack was obviously stunned, and suspicious at the same moment. They way her eyes narrowed on Miranda said that she didn't trust what they were being told and Shepard was ready to confirm it when, as if on cue, three crewmen in Cerberus uniforms walked by. Two of them carrying a mattress, and the one trailing behind struggling to carry the folded metal frame. It wasn't a luxury bed, but it was standard issue. No doubt more comfortable than the wire and cloth cot Jack had taken from the cargo hold when she had first come on board.

Miranda continued, as no one else seemed able to say anything at the moment. "I know that Jack doesn't ask for anything, and had I approached her about it she likely would have told me to... Ah.."

While she seemed to be searching for words that might have been less vulgar than Jack would have used, Garrus interjected with his first quip of the day. "Shove the bed up your Cerberus loving ass?"

"Yes, something like that. Thank you, Officer."

"Anytime."

Shaking her head slightly, Shepard turned her eyes back to Jack. The tattooed woman was eying the other, as if trying to decide what to make of her now. That ended when there was a loud clang, and cursing from the direction of the elevator. Snapping out of it, Jack turned on her heel, muttering 'Fuck' under her breath before yelling just as she turned the corner, "I'm pushing you all out an open airlock if my bed is broken!"

Shepard turned back to Miranda, who wore the smallest of smiles as she looked in the direction of the ex con, only to go all business again when she faced Shepard. "If there is nothing else at the moment, Commander. There is a report of repair status on the terminal in your quarters. Once you have settled in, if you have a free moment there are a few improvements I think we should look into purchasing on Illium."

Shepard, still trying to figure out exactly what she had seen a moment ago (Miranda? Being nice to Jack?) nodded simply before she glanced over her shoulder at Garrus, continuing on her way towards the elevator. Once inside, with Garrus standing beside her, she decided to speak before he could. "Ok, so you were right. I'm not totally convinced, and I still want to name our first dog after her."

* * *

In her quarters, on her private terminal, the light blinked with the messages for the day. Most were from Miranda or Kelly about ship operations, some were from comrades and friends who had heard that they had survived a trip through the Omega relay, and there was one from Alinko. The one that would catch her attention above all others would be the one that sent a chill of fear down her spine.

_To: Commander Jane Shepard_

_Sender: SB_

_Subject: Information on Reaper movement into the Outer Rim_

* * *

I don't feel I went out of character with Miranda or Jack. Besides, if Miranda was asked directly why she had gotten Jack a new bed, she would have said something like "Because her 'cot' was an eye soar on this ship." :)

Ended this one on an ominous note. Don't worry. I am not flying by the seat of my pants. I have all of this planned out already.

R&R and all that jazz!


	7. Moment on the Side

Added as a break between chapters. Just because I've always wanted to give my view of this.

Song inspiration: Rest in Pieces by Saliva

Story idea and dialog sorted out while driving home from work with my Turian muse singing in my ear.

I don't own any of this, bla bla. Sue me for using it, bla bla. If you don't like it, bla bla. Forgive any errors, bla bla.

* * *

This was it. The end. Everything he had accomplished, everything he had worked for in his life, everything his father expected of him would end today. Before him lay the three largest merc groups in operation, and their leaders. Stirring up a hornets nest no longer did this particular event justice. He had taken the nest, locked himself in a small apartment, and torn the hive open to make sure the hornets couldn't miss. That didn't mean he would make it easy on them. All three of them had been throwing everything that they could muster in his direction, but the bridge had provided him with enough protection to last this long. Twenty four hours ago he had lost count of how many heads he had singled out, how many times he had squeezed the trigger of his rifle, and how many times he had cursed his own flawless aim.

He was here to die, after all.

He took cold comfort in the fact that it was becoming more and more difficult. Each shot took slightly longer to line up, and in their last rush one of them had almost managed to make it into the building. Almost. The tiny thrill he had felt when the human merc had run in a mad dash towards the lower level doors had been short lived when he automatically swung the rifle around. Removing any thought from the woman's mind with a white hot slug gave him no pleasure at all. More than once he had considered letting the in. Make it look good, but let one or two of them slip through without seeming to notice them so some lucky merc would become a hero by putting a bullet in the back of his head. The end of Arch Angel. It had a ring to it.

The end. No more struggle. No more pain. No more pointless fighting.

It was pointless. Everything he had done sense the day the Normandy was destroyed was pointless. He had tried to reintroduce the idea of the Reapers to the Council, but had failed. He had tried to become a Specter, so that he could carry on where the others had left off and had failed. He had not managed to bring the crew together, and had not managed to do anything good. What good was left? He was exhausted, and broken.

Not that the mercs would have known this. They all came to the bridge thinking that they were going to make a quick cred, left in body bags, and again the leaders of the merc groups were left wondering if they were fighting the devil himself. Whatever their species considered to be the devil, at any rate. To them, he was unbreakable. To him, he simply knew that it was pointless to break what was already shattered and scattered on a planet two Mass Relays and one days flight away.

_Shepard. This is all your fault, you know._

Scoped and dropped might have meant something to him two years ago. Now as he lined up a vorcha stupid enough to peek over the barrier that had been built on the other side of the bridge, he felt nothing more than the jerk of the rifle as the curious head was yanked back and never seen again.

_You did this to me._

They were coming again. Only six this time, like some sort of sick test. How quickly could Arch Angel drop six hired killers?

_"Nine seconds, Garrus! A new record! Next time I think we need some kind of handicap or the others are going to start wondering why I need them at all."_

Focus. Offering himself up to death did not mean he was going to simply hand himself over. He would make her proud, go out in the blazes of battle so that he would not dishonor her name any further.

_Sixteen seconds._

She would have gotten a kick out of that time. She would have smirked, ribbed him a few times and asked him what girl had him so distracted. Would have been just blind enough not to realize that it was her. Not that it would have mattered, had she known.

She was Commander Shepard.

She _was _Commander Shepard. Drawing the rifle closer to his shoulder, he narrowed his eyes as he focused on the last merc to clear the barrier. Crimson armor, dark hair, green eyes focused on him.

This was the end, then. He knew that he was not insane, and he had often wondered if she would come for him when his time was up. Just to see her one last time before he was sent to whatever hell people who committed suicide by merc went to would have made almost everything worth it.

Her eyes did not waver from him. Challenging him. Daring him to fight.

_Don't you dare look at me that way, Shepard. I am fighting._

Determined to prove his point, he adjusted his sight to the merc closest to her and dropped him with a single shot. And the one beside that, and the one beside...

_I've been doing nothing but fighting since you left us._

Anger destroyed his aim. Mercs he had been killing like still holographic targets on a good day were avoiding him almost easily as he yanked the trigger with his sudden fury driven into each shot, missing just as often as he hit.

_Since you left _me_!_

Some slipped past him, into the building but he knew that he would keep fighting.

_I'm tired, Shepard. Let me rest..._

He would be damned if he gave up and let anyone have a shot at his back while he was being watched by the very reason he was here. Swinging the scope back to the ghost from his past, he would take one last look before he dropped scope and switched to his assault rifle for close combat. Watching the ghost draw a sub-machine gun from her hip made him pause in motion, watching as she took aim at one of the mercs that had run ahead. The flurry of fire that she sent into the batarian's back was followed by a volley of fire from two human men who stood on either side of her, another two dropping with military precision.

"She's with Archangel!"

* * *

Broken but unbreakable was how she would have described the man that pulled himself to his feet slowly. The three powerhouses of Omega had been beating against a turian rock, but every rock wore down over time. That he was exhausted to the point of collapse was made obvious when she watched him stand, using the sniper rifle that had been the death of so many mercs to push himself up before he made his way towards them slowly. The rifle hung at his side, but was not raised, which was a good sign.

Cerberus information on Arch Angel had been little, except for the fact that he had been able to hold off every merc organization on Omega for three days, and had done so alone. This made him perfect for the team, in every tactical way. Expect tactician, one hell of a shot even if he was exausted. Good, but not as good as another turian she knew.

_Where are you, Garrus?_

Of all members of her crew, she missed the turian the most. Their connection had been deeper than she had expected from the start, and upon questioning the Illusive Man about the location of her her former crew, she had asked about him first. Hearing that he had dropped out of all known space, she couldn't help feeling alone in everything. The two beside her, she did not trust. One worked for Cerberus and was an unknown even if he seemed straight forward enough. The other, a mercenary himself though on a completely different level of bad ass when compared to the ones they had cut down so far. Brought back to life, sucked back into a war only she seemed to know was raging, with no one to stand beside her. Sure, there was Joker. But standing was not one of his strong points. She wanted someone she could have at her back.

Click went the seal on Arch Angel's helm.

She wanted someone she could trust to follow every order, and believe they were doing the right thing.

One three fingered hand gripped the of the blue and black armor to pull it off.

Someone she could laugh with, talk openly to. Someone with the same predatory blues that gazed at her once the helmet was gone.

She wanted...

* * *

"Garrus!"

The sound that left his throat with his first gasp for breath was sickening, and she felt her stomach roll even as she gripped his armor clad shoulder to roll him onto his back. Holding back the sudden ache in her chest when she saw his face, she quickly activated whatever medigel she had left and pumped all of it into his armor. "We're getting you out of here, Garrus. Just hold on!"

_Please, please hold on! Don't leave me alone. _

"Radio Joker! Make sure they're ready for us!"

_You can't die on me, Garrus! Look at me! _Gripping his forearms so tightly that her own fingers ached from the pressure created, she watched his eyes as he held onto his sniper rifle as if it were the only things keeping him breathing. She heard Zaeed comment on something in the background, but ignored his words as she focused on the blue eyes that were blindly searching. _Look at me, damn it! See me! I'm here for you, Garrus.  
_

"Please!" She was unaware that the last word had been spoken aloud, but if the two men hovering around her and her best friend had heard her, they wisely kept any further comments to themselves. But the word was enough to draw his eyes to her now, and time froze for just a moment when they met. Desperation in her eyes, and empty exhaustion mingled with pain in his. A look she had seen too many times in the past, in the eyes of the dying. In the eyes of someone who had given up on life, and was ready to let it all go. And she felt painfully selfish in that moment, as she looked down into his eyes and willed him not to give up. Lowering her voice was she leaned over the dying turian, not caring who heard her words, though neither of the men did as they went off to clear the way for extraction. "You always told me that you would be there when I needed you, and I am going to hold you to that, damn you. I need you now. I..."

"Commander! Extraction team is here, and the Doc is ready to receive."

* * *

He wasn't in enough pain, or on enough pain medication to believe that everything he had seen was a dream. The fact that his face felt like it had been struck by a missile (tell me you wouldn't be proud of my surviving that, father.) and and his armor verified that fact helped banish the idea that he was dreaming. But he needed to see for himself again. He needed to see _her _again to be sure. The determination in his steps made certain that every Cerberus crew member that he passed simply stepped (and sometimes nearly jumped) out of his way as he followed the directions that ships AI had given him. Turning the corner, past the first door, into the door at the center of the hall...

"Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality, but..."

Predatory blues focused on Shepard the moment the door opened at his approach. "Shepard." Cool. Calm. Don't break down. But just to see her, alive and breathing, and smiling at him. Smiling at him, with light in her eyes that told him that she wasn't just happy to see him alive. She was happy to see _him_.

"Tough son of a bitch," the dark skinned human commented with a surprised chuckle. He didn't seem dangerous, but he still wore a Cerberus uniform. He wasn't to be trusted. "Didn't think he'd be up yet."

Stepping into the room, he was focused on on the human woman who seemed unable to wipe the grin from her face. Only her. She was all that mattered, and he made it a point to maintain his confident strut as he walked towards her. "No one would give me a mirror. How bad is it?"

"Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face paint on there, and no one will even notice."

Relief. That _was _Jane Shepard. Relief so deep that he couldn't help but laugh, even if it did cause pain to shoot through the side of his face as his mandibles widened further than they were ready too. "Ohh, don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding together as it is." Keeping the banter alive, to make sure it was as real as it was starting to feel, he waved his hand towards his face. "Someone women find facial scars attractive. Mind you, most of those women are Krogan."

It wasn't until the human called Jacob left that he was able to fully direction his attention to Shepard. And as good as it was to see her, he had to voice his concern. And as only she could do, she somehow put his fears to rest with a few words about needing someone she could trust.

"You do realize that this plan had me walking into Hell too?"

_Anywhere you lead me, I'll be with you. Anywhere you go, I will follow.  
_

"Just like old times." The small tilt of his head as he said this was more to set forth an ease he did not feel at the moment. The haunted look in her eyes when she gazed at his face made him want to hold her, just to remind her that he was there for her. "I'm fit for duty. I'll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries."

Turning now, he made his way towards the door only pause on his way out. Turning back to see her still watching him, still haunted as their eyes met. Something else needed to be said, and he stopped to face her fully. Every breath hurt, but he breathed in deeply anyway. Faint at this distance, but her scent was there and it was a comfort to him to know that she was alive once more. He didn't think about the words, so much as hoped they were what she needed to hear. "I'll be here if you need me, Shepard."

Never in all of his life would he have expected that two years of personal torture, pain, and the loss of half of his face would be worth a single smile from a female.

Never, until that moment.

* * *

And that's my take. I jumped a lot, because it's all been written a dozen times and no doubt played many thousands of times.

I am a hopeless sap, I know. Deal with it. ;) R&R please!


	8. Chapter 7

First weekend off in a while. Decided to take advantage and write a few things. :) This continues the main story, though I have taken a step to the side to allow something a little more fun than dealing with the Shadow Broker. I felt something more fun was needed after my story 'break'. And so... I bring you...

Wrex!

Not mine, I don't own any of it, though I still think a pet Reaper would be fun as hell. :D

* * *

"Why did the Shadow Broker's agent want to meet us on Tucanka, anyway?" she heard him ask from just off to her left. "Not that we haven't seen our share of decimated planets, but I really could have gone for some think a little less... Krogan."

"And what is _that _supposed to mean?" Grunt said from a few paces back. Shepard knew that since he had passed into adult hood, Grunt had taken a notion that this planet was his home, even though he had spent a total of four hours on the surface. She had listened to him speak often of his plan for a glorious return. When word had reached the Krogan of Grunt's participation in a trip through, and back from the Omega Relay after destroying the Collector base (a foe even the Krogan had to respect), the number of breeding requests had jumped into the high thirties.

It was something that Shepard really, really didn't want to think about.

"Don't take it the wrong way," Garrus continued, seemed oblivious to the growl of irritation that had seeped into Grunt's voice with the question. "It's all very... Krogan. Blasted all to hell, obvious signs of combat at every turn, the scars of explosions littering the landscape no matter where you look..."

"Are you talking about the planet, or the right side of your face, Garrus?" Shepard put in as they stepped down into the main room of the building, grinning to herself as she spotted Wrex arguing with another Krogan in the distance. Seemed not much had changed since her last visit.

"Ohh, ouch," the turin hissed through his teeth as if wounded as Grunt snorted in amusement. Then spoke in a low, almost purring tone. "Mm... Alright. I'll remember that one, Commander."

Throwing a grin over her shoulder at the turian she found sexier than any man she'd ever known, she was ready to reply when a roar came from the direction of Wrex. All hands flew to their weapons as three sets of eyes watched the unfortunate male flung through the air before landing, and rolling down the make shift ramp leading up to Wrex's 'throne'. Shepard side stepped the rolling figure to continue her way up towards the imposing figure that watched them approach, as did Garrus. Grunt, on the other hand, decided to remain at the base of the ramp until the other male came to a stop.

All eyes were quickly trained on the massive young male when the defeated Krogan started to struggle to his feet, a low toned growl of rage bubbling up from his chest. A growl that was cut short, when Grunt's armored boot was not so gently shoved into the side of his neck, pinning him back to the ground. "My Battle Master has business with the Clan Leader. And she is far more worthy than you. Save your arguments for another day."

With that, the heavily armored youth stepped over the other Krogan as if he no longer existed, walking up the ramp as the once again defeated male pulled himself to his feet and stormed away angrily. Shepard was aware that Wrex had all of his attention focused on Grunt, and waited patiently as the ancient male sized up the youth much as he had done the first time. With a grunt of approval, he finally nodded before turning his eyes towards Shepard. While it was not what she would have called a smile that crossed his massive mouth, the look on his face was certainly one that said he was pleased to see her. "Shepard, my old friend! Back alive from the Omega Four Relay, I hear. And having spilt every drop of Collector blood in the Galaxy. It is no less than I expected from you."

Somehow, praise from the ancient Krogan made her feel a rush of pride that she rarely felt any other time. True praise was a rare thing, outside of her own crew. Most believed her to be insane, deluded, or a liar. Or all three at once, but Wrex had never once doubted her word. Even when she had told him that destroying the cure for the Genophage was best for his people, he had trusted that her intent was honorable. When he drew closer with one arm extended, she grasped it at the elbow. As always when she greeted him, she was impressed when she actually felt his grip cause her armor to give just enough for her to actually feel his hand. "Wrex, it's good to see you doing well still."

"As well as can be expected. Another clan has come into the fold, after much bloodshed I'm afraid. Progress is slow." His words ended when his eyes turned to settle on the figure in blue armor patiently standing off to one side.

_That's right. I didn't bring Garrus down here last time._

Even though he had expressed his desire to come down with her, the fact that Mordin and Grunt had both needed something from the surface had made the choice to take both of them at once a hard one to resist. She still somewhat regretted it, if only because she had missed his one-shot-one-kill tactics that even worked on charging Krogan. And for the reaction that she saw when the massive Krogan and the Turian bad ass locked eyes.

"Garrus?" Lumbering past Shepard, Wrex thrust out his hand once more. "Ha! I expected you to be dead by now, not for lack of trying from the look of you," he rumbled as his eyes scanned the scarred side of his face with what could easily have been called respectful speculation. Krogan always respected strength, and the melted wreckage of the turians armor combined with the cybernetic mesh that covered his lower jaw around the scaring, it had taken no small amount of strength to survive whatever had caused it. "Back under Shepard, I see."

Garrus cast a quick glance towards Shepard, one which she understood loud and clear. And replied to with a 'you say one word, and you're exiled to the forward batteries tonight' look, earning an amused twitch of his mandibles as his attention returned to Wrex and grasped his arm as well. "Well, I am a creature of habit," Garrus replied with a rasping chuckle. "Couldn't miss out on the chance to chase after bad guys and run around the galaxy with Reapers breathing down my neck. I might get soft, sitting around all day."

Wrex's laughter at the turian's obvious jab wiped away the shadow that mention of the Reapers normally brought over Shepard, and her grin was actually making her face ache when Wrex almost knocked Garrus over with a friendly slap on his armored shoulder. No doubt, without the armor that friendly tap would have broken some plates. Taking a moment to scrutinize the scaring again, Wrex nodded before starting a turn towards Shepard before he paused. Shepard almost groaned when he turned his attention back to Garrus, though this time rather than using his eyes...

* * *

Damned mandibles simply would not stay still. Not when Wrex was leaning close to him, and sucking in air as if trying to determine what flavor the air around the turian was. He had never been one for inter-species study, beyond learning the best spots to put a bullet and how best to avoid detection (setting his knowledge of humans aside, because Shepard was certainly a special case). The old Krogan couldn't possibly... He had showered, and his armor was clean. He knew well enough that Jane's scent would permanently linger on his plating, but the scent would have been faint to most...

The grin that crawled across the Krogan's face told him all he needed to know, along with the darkening of Shepard's skin when a slight blush crpet up her throat. She had drawn the same conclusion that he had, obviously. And Wrex being... Well, Wrex, was not going to play innocent to the information scent had brought him.

"I never knew Shepard had a weakness for facial scars." So close to his own words on the matter, Garrus couldn't help the short laugh that left him even though it did earn him a glare from Shepard. Easy steps carried the Krogan closer to Shepard again, where he breathed in deeply once more as if to confirm what he had noticed in the turian's scent.

Garrus watched, with no small amount of annoyance as Wrex leaned in closer to Shepard, who, being Shepard, didn't budge an inch even when that grinning face was only an inch or two away from her. "I knew you had the heart of a Krogan." Protective instincts started to kick off in his head when he heard to seductive (could Krogan be seductive? It sure came across as an attempt at it) tone in their friends voice. Friend or not, he was standing way to close to Jane. "Though, if it's scars you're looking for, I have a few of my own that you haven't seen yet..."

It wouldn't be until his head cleared that Garrus realized that the enraged snarl that filled the air had come from him. Before the red haze that clouded his eyes started to clear, he realized that Shepard and Grunt both were holding him back. Trying to hold him back anyway; Clan Leader Urdnot Wrex spitting blood onto the dusty ground before drawing himself to his feet while rubbing his massive jaw. Garrus had been completely unaware of the four body guards with guns trained on him, until Wrex raised his hand in signal for them to stand down. All of this didn't seem to be enough to keep him from growling though, his mandibles flared wide with the tips of his teeth clearly seen, though he was not struggling against Shepard and Grunt now. "Watch what you say, _Krogan._" Even he would have been surprised when the word came out like a curse, had he not been so completely furious at the moment. How dare he get so close to Shepard? And to speak to his mate like some common whore who would jump into bed with anyone who happened to have a scar...

They were all surprised when Wrex gave a short bark of a laugh in reply, stepping closer to Garrus before clapping his hands onto his shoulders tightly with a nod of approval. "I knew you had a Quad, turian!" he bellowed in obvious delight. Only a Krogan would have taken pleasure in facing an enraged turian, though his laughter and obvious approval allowed some of the rage to drain from Garrus' tense body. "Worthy enough, Shepard. Worthy enough. It's not every male who would attack a clan leader in his own home, let alone lay claim to Commander Shepard. At least he's not as soft and weak as the biotic. I never did understand how you of all people could stand letting someone who whined like a varren pup brood over you."

Some kind of test? Predatory blues were focused on Wrex as he lumbered towards his throne again. He had to bite back the desire to knock him into the dirt again, but with the instinct to defend his mate now replaced with simple indignation over the fact that he had been played, he was able to resist the urge. He would never understand Krogans.

* * *

Shepard had never seen Garrus behave like that before. Sure, she had seen him in fist fights multiple times. Hand to hand grappling, accurate strikes with his fists, incapacitation of armed opponents. She knew from battle and sparring that he was able to do all of these things with ease. When he had said he was one of the top hand to hand specialists on a turian warship, she had easily believed him. He almost always found ways to get the better of her when they sparred, even if he had recently taken to cheating and their sparring matches always ended in tie breakers. She knew he could fight.

But she had never seen him so blindly enraged before. Kelly had warned her once about the Turian tendency to be territorial of their mates. Spoke of violent reactions to sexual advances from other males, complete with uncontrollable bursts of anger, growling, hissing...

Why was that such a damned turn on?

She should have felt like a piece of meat being fought over by a testosterone driven turian and a testosterone flooded Krogan. She should have been offended that he felt she needed anyone to fight her battles for her. She should have been yelling at Garrus for hitting Wrex and nearly getting himself shot.

But she couldn't stop thinking about the primal, barbaric image of the armored Turian standing over the Krogan warlord with his hands curved into claws. Had he not been wearing his gloves, she had no doubt that Wrex would be sporting a new set of scars rather than a bruised jaw. And damn it, the turian walking beside her looked fantastic right now. The tight set of his mandibles, the way his every step seemed like a threat to every male in the vicinity, the sharp and acute shift of hawk like eyes as he seemed to zero in on every male within a dozen meters of her to warn them off. She doubted even a Reaper would have stood in his way at the moment.

She might have, if they had been alone. Stood in front of him, taunted the predator and waited for him to throw her into the dust so he could have his way with her to stake his claim again. Force her to her knees as he came up behind her, his cock sheathed fully in one powerful thrust, talons biting into her shoulder as he pulled her back to...

_Get a grip, Shepard!_

Inwardly shaking herself, trying to banish the images as she felt aching heat building between her legs, she was shaken further by the raspy rumble that came from beside her. "I'm sorry, Shepard. I realize that I was out of line, but so was he." She could tell that he was still pissed off, but also knew that sooner or later it was going to fade. He and Wrex had always managed to find ways to get under each other's skin back on the SR1, but it had almost been a game between them in the end. "He had no right to get that close to you, and to even suggest what..."

"I know, Garrus," she interrupted before he went off on a rant. She cast a glance at him once more, before she came to a stop in front of the massive six wheeled vehicle that would carry them to their meeting place. He was watching her now, some of his anger gone now as he looked at her with surprise. He was obviously expecting some form of reprimand, maybe a little bit of chewing out, but he looked honestly confused by her lack of action. Thank God for her armor, or her little fantasy would likely end up becoming reality once her scent reached him. "Kelly warned me about instinct in turians. Besides, I am not so sure I would react differently if I saw someone hitting on you right now."

Watching his mandibles flutter for a moment as he considered her words, she waited until he asked what she knew he was going to ask. "Right now, Commander?"

Waiting until Grunt, who was tired of their back and forth banter and ready for some action, climbed into the truck, she finally turned to her lover and mate with a grin on her lips. "I have to be honest, Garrus. No one's ever fought for me like that. Not for that reason anyway. I'm not used to it, I didn't expect it, and right now I am so horny because of it that I want to rip your armor off in front of God and everybody so you can show them how a turian fucks his commander." Watching his eyes widen, his chest rise with a flare of breath, and his mandibles trembled told her everything she needed to know. Then, she switched on Commander Shepard again, calm and precise in her orders. "However, we have a mission to accomplish. So get your turian ass in the truck so we can move out."

She waved him into the truck, and savored the shock on his face. Of course, he started to obey quickly enough. She loved that about him, too. He knew when to follow, knew when to argue, and knew when there was nothing to argue about. Same old Garrus.

"Ohh, ouch," he repeated in the exact same tone as before. A low, chuckled purr leaving him even as he settled into his seat. He saw her watching him as she followed, his eyes never leaving her. "All right, Commander. That's two that I owe you now."

She knew it, smirking to herself as she fasted her harness into place before the driver started to vehicle. And as soon as they were alone together again, she was going to enjoy every second of his paybacks.

* * *

I love Wrex. He's an awesome character. He and Garrus were my party through most of ME1. I hope we can have him back in ME3. We miss you Wrex!

I just had fun with this chapter. Hope you like!

R&R please!


	9. Chapter 8

Half serious, half candy. ::Snicker:: Candy for the girls mostly. Enjoy it!

I like Thane. I think he is bad ass, myself. I just don't like him with Shepard, honestly. A part of what makes him so cool is the mysterious assassin thing, and one you make him all soft and weepy he looses that appeal.

And yes, I did this allll for the Garrus/Thane fan girls. ::Snicker::

* * *

_"Fifty."_

_"Fifty..."_

_"Fifty is only what the probe detected in the three seconds before it was destroyed. This is not taking into account the fact that the vessels that you call Reapers could easily have been stacked. Blocking each other from detection, if you would. The exact number of them I cannot begin to give an exact estimate, but the probe sent information on fifty."_

_"Exactly how many of these probes do you have active?"_

_"It's no secret that the Shadow Broker has thousands of them in known space. The ones sent with the intent of examining Dark Space were launched shortly after the report of your encounter with Sovereign."_

_"Testing my story, or did you believe me after the attack on the Citadel?"_

_"When the Shadow Broker started to believe you is irrelevant now. You have always been taken seriously, and that was enough for us to gain this information."_

_"And what does the Shadow Broker want in exchange for this information? I am not exactly rolling in creds, or any information he might be interested in beyond some Cerberus tech."_

_"Commander Shepard... Unlike those who would turn a blind eye to something of this maginitude, we know what could happen. We ourselves have recently been... Privileged with access to some Prothean beacons such as the ones you have encountered. The Shadow Broker is well aware of the fact that there is no point to operation if there is no one left to sell information to. So the payment is simple.._

_Stop them."_

* * *

Simple, he called it. She had no doubt that it would have been simpler to acquire one hundred times the Shadow Brokers normal fee to interstellar governments than it would be to stop the Reapers. The fact that she had already planned on finding a way to do that was just... Happy coincidence.

Slamming her head down on the desk in front of her hard enough to make her wince, she cursed silently for a long moment. Fifty, and that number was probably vastly underestimated. _Like locusts... That's what the image showed, that's what the VI said. _Forcing down the bile that threatened to rise in her throat back down, she pulled herself upright again to look at the screen in front of her. The Reapers came in various shapes, though they were all massive in size. It wasn't hard to assume that each shape was the result an a species, like humanity, that had been chosen to be the basic material for the construction of new Reapers. The thought made her fist tighten to the point that joints started to pop, and only then did she stand to start pacing her room.

One Reaper had sliced through Alliance and Citadel ships like they were little more than empty hulks. Kinetic barriers did no good against them, because in an obvious display of destructive power, it had used particle beams of some kind to carve two and three ships at a time in half. The memory of that battle made the pace of her steps increase as she stalked around her cabin. One Reaper. Now Fifty. There was no fleet in the Galaxy that could stand up against that; it would be total annihilation.

_Enough, Jane. Brooding won't accomplish anything. Don't worry. _Think_. There has to be something that can be done. We have the advantage that no other species has had in the past. We know they are coming, we know how powerful they are. Even if I have to space walk up to each one of the bastard machines and blow them up from the inside, that's what I'm going to do, damn it. They are not unkillable. It's been proven twice, and it can be done again, as many times as it needs to be._

Calmer. This allowed her to think. She needed ships, and she needed them fast. She needed governments to cooperate and believe in her, which the Shadow Broker's agent had told her he would begin working on right away. With the information that they had, even the Council would not be able to ignore the threat. Hide it, maybe. But no longer ignore it. She would not wait to see what results that brought about, however. Acting now could mean the difference between saving or losing the entire Galaxy. So she started planning...

Eleven hours later, she had drawn up various ideas, plans, and deleted most of them. Messages were sent to everyone who owed her a favor, every political figure who's ass she had saved, ever colonist who might just have a damned shuttle to donate to the fight. The next step was... Getting rid of the headache that was gnawing at the back of her skull. Groaning, she set the pad aside and sipped her coffee with closed eyes. She wish Garrus was there now, but she had requested time alone now for a reason. Distraction was the last thing she needed, though she did feel slightly bad about banishing him after teasing him so voraciously on the planet's surface. But he had accepted her reasoning. She would not have made good company, not in the slightest, and she needed time to think alone.

That didn't mean she couldn't miss him. Sighing quietly, she set the coffee aside and reached for the pad again just as her com beeped and a voice cut into her the silence of her cabin, nearly causing her to leap five feet above her chair. "Commander Shepard, it's Yeoman Chambers. Please report to the exercise room immediately."

Groaning inwardly, Shepard pulled herself to her feet. So much for silently plotting the destruction of the Reapers. "Can't it wait, Kelly? We do have the problem of intergalactic dreadnoughts bent on the extermination of all life in the galaxy on their way out of dark space."

There was a long pause, as if the Yeoman was considering the fact before giving her answer. "It could, but... I mean, it's Garrus. And Thane. Sparing... Wearing almost nothing. I thought you might..."

Whatever she said after that was lost, because Shepard was no longer in her cabin.

* * *

He had planned it perfectly. Had even conspired with Krios to make it happen. It had simply been a matter of planning their little spar to start a few minutes before Kelly began her daily workout. From there, what was an innocent spar had become an event. Both males knew that most of them were there for Thane, of course. Garrus wondered if it had something to do with the bright colors of his skin that they found so attractive, even on some instinctual level. Most likely, as he had become aware of in his time, there was just something about the way Thane moved, spoke, and looked in black leather that seemed to turn the women on the Normandy into whimper puddles of lust.

Of course he was a prime specimen as far as Turians were concerned, but he was well aware (and honestly pleased) by the fact that most of the females in the crew seemed oblivious to this. He was perfectly comfortable with the fact that he could turn Shepard into a whimpering puddle of lust. What more could anyone ask?

But whoever had drawn them, and for whatever reason, they had come. It seemed almost every off duty person on the ship was in the room now, and while there were males (Jacob and Zaeed had already placed their bets on who would win) most were certainly female. Kelly was, as always the most outspoken of those present. Right from the start, she had started to chat with one of the women next to her about Thane, either unaware or not caring that both males had better than human hearing so every word was picked up on. Including many uses of the words muscle, lips, chest, and butt.

It wasn't until both males noticed Shepard stepping into the room that they paused in what had been light sparing to this point. Watching her eyes turn to him, he couldn't keep the turian grin from relaxing his mandibles when those eyes scanned every inch of his body. Not to say that he had some issue with his own body but for the sake of most of the chew, even when working out he had kept himself mostly clothed. Today, he had not. And while 75% of the female crew obsessed over Thane, the fact that he was wearing nothing but sparing pants caught his mates eye. He watched with an easy grin as her gaze traveled over the pants first, which fit over his slim waist and conformed itself all the way down the length of his legs while leaving an opening in the back for the spurs on his caffs. Then, onward to the broad span of his chest. While he did not carry muscle in exactly the same manor as a human or Drell, the fact hat she seemed ready to squirm in place when the wide silver plates shifted across his chest as he rolled his shoulders slowly told him that she didn't mind in the slightest.

He made sure to add a certain level of a throaty growl into his voice when he called across the room to Shepard. "Commander... I'm glad you could join us. We were just about to start with the heavy contact."

It could have been his imagination but he could have sworn that after he had spoken more of the human women in the room were focused on him. Hm... Maybe there was something to the times Jane had told him that he had a sexy voice. And while he was no expert in reading human body language, he knew enough from Jane to realize that he was now being sized up in more ways than one.

Whatever the case, he grinned as he turned his eyes to Thane, who stood in his own tight black training pants and nothing else. Being a turian, most things looked rather... Squishy by comparison. But having seen Thane in action, and knowing that the Drell's quest to make his body a perfect weapon had crafted his body into what many species would consider perfect, he had lost any preconception that this particular assassin was squishy. Well, maybe his mouth. He had heard more than one crew member comment on how kissable his mouth was. "Now, we can start."

Paybacks weren't always terrible. But for Shepard? One good cock tease deserved a good hot dose of payback.

* * *

She knew instantly that she had been set up. The fact that Garrus seemed so completely unabashed in his actions told her that this was no surprise to him, and thus it was planned. She wondered how much of it the Drell (who she had to admit, looked damned good without a shirt on. What a body!) was in on, and if he knew the exact reason for it. But damn, it was hard to think when the two of them started to circle each other.

Shepard made her way across the room, somehow unable to resist being next to Kelly for this. The Yeoman was blunt, and very open about the fact that she didn't give a damn what species someone was as long as there was attraction. This being the case, Shepard sometimes found her insight on crew members fascinating, if not sometimes a little vulgar. The fact that Kelly was still the number one candidate in reference to who brought Scale itch onto the Normandy was enough to have some of the human crew eying her suspiciously at times. Of course, that had been dis-proven, but rumors were rumors.

Now, as she drew closer to the red haired woman, Kelly put on her normally cheerful face and waved excitedly to the Commander when she came close. "Can you believe those two? Just looking at them..." She did just that, and was quickly as enthralled as Kelly seemed to be, though in a much more "silently stewing in her own juices" sort of way.

The two combatants circled each other for a moment, before Garrus decided to make the first move. A swift strike with one hand, which was easily knocked aside by the talented assassin, followed by another that was also blocked. What followed was a flurry of motion in which neither Drell nor Turian really landed a blow. Not for lack of trying. Bare feet were blocked with an armored shin when Thane brought his legs into play, and found the lack of mobility afterward to be his downfall when Garrus grappled him to the ground with a solid _SLAM_ into the mat that made many of the women in the audience gasp like little girls watching a schoolyard fight.

Shepard might have rolled her eyes, had she not been so enthralled as Thane, not missing a beat, slipped one leg between himself and the turian above him until the sole of his foot was pressed against his chest. A powerful shove sending her armor plated lover up just high enough to the Drell's other foot to connect with the left side of his face and send him rolling to one side. Drawing his legs up, Thane displayed his well known agility when he cradle rolled himself off the ground in little more than a second, and was quickly after the fallen turian. Full contact for people like Thane and Garrus was full contact in every way. So he dropped to the ball of one foot and spun to sweep his other leg across the ground until the solid _SMACK_ of his foot connecting with the scarred side of Garrus' face rang through the room. A sound heard even over the constant drone of the fan girls that filled it. Shepard winced but was not surprised. Thane was an expert himself, on so many levels that it left most people who saw him fight with their head spinning.

Not that two kicks were enough to stop her turian, because even as Thane was pulling himself up for another go, one three fingered hand captured an ankle...

"Do you remember when Garrus first came on board, Commander?" Kelly's voice cut into her thoughts of the two men like breaking glass. Damn, why had she come over here again? "When I said I wanted to hold him close and tell him everything would be alright?"

Considering for a moment, and watching as Garrus tossed the Drell to the ground before catching a swift jab into the brightly colored male's midsection all in one fluid motion. Garrus was obviously stronger in every physical way. While the Drell's agility was catching him with more hits, Garrus was tossing the Drell around the mat in ways that filled the room with Ooos and Aaas from Garrus and Thane fans alike. After that, Shepard responded to the inquiry. "I do remember. I was one more word away from punching you."

Honesty seemed to stun the young woman into silence as she blinked several times, something that Shepard missed because she didn't take her eyes from the fighting at hand. Thane had just tried to pull his awe inspiring over the back flip after kneeing Garrus in the gut, only to find a strong kick planted in his own midsection. More gasps, Ooos and Ahhs were to follow, though now more so because Garrus actually caught that particular move with deceptive ease. Both men drew themselves up, breathing hard and staring at each other in anticipation of the next move.

During this small break in the festivities, Shepard turned her eyes to Kelly again with one brow quirked upward. "You brought that up for a reason, Kelly. You have something on your mind?"

The red head shot a glance at Shepard before she shook her head quickly and actually managed to look sheepish while she was at it. "No, no. Nothing at all, Commander. I mean, if you were going to punch me for wanting to hug him..." She shook her head, even as Shepard smirked at her. "You would almost certainly want to shoot me for what I was thinking just now!"

* * *

And so, this chapter is done. Some smexyness in the next chapter.

Along with ::Dun dun dun:: Eraser Head!

R&R!


	10. Chapter 9

And thus, another chapter begins. I love this chapter, and some surprises are in store! Also, hot lovin not even one word past the start of the story, so enjoy it. ::Grin::

This will be a loooong one. Forgive any errors. I don't have time to re-read it. Point out some errors in PM if you want me to fix them, and it will be done. :)

* * *

_"Jane..."_

She loved the urgency in that growl, just as much as the loved the fact that he was very clearly trying to keep his hands off her. She wondered it if was instinct, some predatory fear that prevented him from taking things further. Or, if he was actually be a gentleman.. Or gentle Turian as the case may be. It didn't do much for her sheets, on the other hand. The sound of ultra durable cloth ripping under the pressure of his talons never failed to set her hips to squirming, mostly because of the fact that she knew exactly how much strain it could withstand before it did tear, no matter how sharp the claws might have been.

That, along with the purring growl of her name was enough to tell her that he was enjoying himself. The fact that his cock throbbed against her tongue when she traced it slowly along the thick tip, and his back arched when she squeezed her fingers tightly around the shaft was simple confirmation that she was driving him crazy. Sparkling green eyes focused on the turian as he squirmed in pleasurable torment on her bed, her body pressed against his legs a she knelt at the edge of the bed, keeping him pinned as she parted her lips fully to slide him into her mouth. She knew that if he had actually wanted to kick her off that he was more than able to do so, but she knew as well as he did that he didn't want to move more than was required for his hips to squirm and buck slightly when she applied gentle suction.

She was fully dressed, and he was not dressed at all. She was heading out to the Citadel in fifteen minutes, but the sight of him sleeping so soundly after they had spent the night nearly assaulting each other had filled her with an urge that she had never had with any of her past lovers. Some part of her had almost felt it was degrading for someone of her military history to submit so far to any man, afraid that they would think less of her and spread the word to their friends about how they had gotten a blow-job from Commander Jane Shepard. With Garrus, it was different. Nothing between them was wrong, even if other would not see it that way. Nothing that she did for him or with him would ever make her feel less than she was, and she knew that he would never think less of her. In all honesty, the very fact that he had done the same for her not ten seconds after stripping her armor off on their first night together? It was something that still made her almost giddy when she thought of it. A turian bad ass, the illusive and dangerous Archangel on his knees just because he had wanted to make her squirm.

And now, it was her turn. Not that this was the first time she had done this. A surprise for him, after a visit to Mordin where she had (red faced the whole time) requested an allergy test for levo/dextro compatibility, that had left him panting and wide eyed in the middle of a shower. Payback, he had called it. And just like when they had returned to her cabin after his little sparing match with Thane, she was all too happy to dish out just as much as she could take.

"Jane, do you even have.. Ahh!"

Shutting him up was easy enough, when she squeezed the bluish purple length again firmly while sliding her lips further over the head until her lips met her hand. Closing her eyes as she savored the rapid pace of his breathing, the clicking purrs that mingled with throaty growls of pleasure, and the fact that his taste was like nothing she had ever known before. After her first taste, she had decided it was very much to her liking. Salty, with just a touch of sweet mingled with an almost metallic undertone that made her tongue literally tingle when the first trickle of precum started to flow as his back arched up from the bed, his his hands pulling at the sheets once more. A little hum leaving her her as she suckled firmly, bobbing her head in steady up and down motions that he gradually started to match with the light thrust of his hips on every downward stroke.

He was beyond questions now, and she knew it. The pace of her hand increased its stroke along the length of him, and it was only the growls from this turian she adored that drowned out the soft sucking sounds that came from her lips and the throbbing length between them. Turian women didn't do this normally, not without horrifying their mates. Their teeth, and less flexible mouths allowed only for tongue play for the brave. But the fact that she was able to not only take him into her mouth like this, but most often seemed intent on swallowing him whole when she did so drove him crazy.

And he never lasted long, just like now. Something else she couldn't complain about, certainly not when his hips arched upward and her name was ripped from his throat in a growling moan that was her only warning before her mouth was filled with the hot flood of his release. This taste was different as well. Stronger, slightly sweeter, and abundant to say the least. Her eyes opened to focus on his face and the writhing arch of his body as each thick pulse of his cock against her tongue bathed the inside of her mouth in the flavor of him. Never selfish with him and certainly having no complaints, Shepard swallowed again and again until she felt the pulsing ease and her mate slowly begin to relax. Even then she was slow to withdraw, gently sucking her way back to the tip as if to gather every drop she could before she swiped her tongue over the ridged head while watching the quick rise and fall of his chest. More than once, this way of ending him had led them back into bed.

And if she did not have an appointment in the Citadel, she would have climbed up onto the bed with him and ridden him until one or the other dropped from exhaustion. But she did, and duty called so she smoothed her dress uniform easily with both hands as she watched him recover himself. Aside from the plating, he could have passed for a cat who had just been given a large bowl of cream; she could almost see him rolling around on the bed purring in delight. It drew a small smirk to her lips as she folded her arms across her chest. "Well, I do at least follow the saying 'To the victor go the spoils,'" she commented, flushing slightly as she ran her tongue over her lips and discovered that some of him had lingered. What was it about him that sometimes made her feel like a damned school girl with her first lover?

Oh right. She actually loved him.

His rasping chuckle rumbled through him as he raised his head to look at her. She could see the way his eyes moved over her body in the dress uniform she wore. It hugged her curves in all the right places without being anywhere near 'slutty', and the sharp black over white coloring made for a nice contrast to her darker skin tone. Not Cerberus any longer, that crest had been removed in favor of one for her Alliance rank. She had started Alliance, and would always be Alliance deep down even if they had (just like everyone else) kicked her when she was literally down.

"Hm... And what if I had lost?" he asked, propping himself up on one elbow as he watched her check her hair to make sure everything was in order.

Smirking, she leaned over to kiss him lightly on his scarred mandible (something she did more often than not to show him that it did not bother her) before she patted his plated chest lightly. "I wasn't talking about you. I would think you realized how much of a winner I felt like watching that little display." Grinning as his mandibles fluttered in amusement, she drew away from him and headed towards the door. "Meet me on the Presidium for lunch. I wouldn't mind some real food before we ship out again."

* * *

"How much?"

Jacob raised one eyebrow as the question was presented, his eyes focused on the retreating form of Commander Shepard as she headed towards the elevator. Zaeed sat beside him, watching the same thing with his normal stoic, hard ass merc expression even if there was a bit of a smirk on his lips. They had both watched as Commander Shepard had come down from her cabin. Had both watched her walk over to Rupert. And both watched as she asked for nothing more than a cup of coffee before heading off for her appointment on the Citadel. "I don't know if that's something I want to be betting on, Zaeed. If the Commander found out..."

"Bah. It's not like we're actually betting on whether or not she getting nailed by the Turian. I'm just betting that he'll be coming down any minute now that she's out of her cabin," the old mercenary groused unhappily. It made Jacob shake his head, mostly because he knew as well as Zaeed did that the Commander and Garrus had taken to following a pattern even if they didn't know it. While they did not come down together, likely to keep their relationship... Well, not hidden, but running silent at least, they always left the same way. One would come down, and no less than fifteen minutes later the other would come down. Shepard sometimes looked just a little flushed, and Garrus... Garrus just seemed a little less uptight than he had after first coming onto the Normandy. It was something that could have been attributed to the fact that they had beaten the Collectors, if everyone on board wasn't 90% certain that he was sleeping with Shepard.

"I'm not that much of a sucker," Jacob commented as they lost sight of the Commander, his attention returning to the plate of food in front of him. "You know as well as I do that he'll be coming down. It's not as if they're really trying all that hard to hide anything, and it's not our business. This isn't an Alliance ship."

"Yeah, yeah. No regs against it, I get it. I don't have a problem with it, you know," he commented as he took a bite of his own food. The old merc, who had just recently started to share his morning meal with Jacob. The trading of war stories between the two of them, while a bit lopsided in Zaeed's favor due to simple age and experience, seemed to be enough to draw him out of his hiding place in the cargo bays. "I remember this one turian woman that I partnered with for a while..."

Just the start of this little tail was enough to have the ex Cerberus operative pausing in mid bite to focus his eyes on the merc. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to hear this story, but something kept him from interrupting. Morbid curiosity more than anything else made him listen as Zaeed started to recount a time when he had been paired with a turian explosives specialist and a young Krogan to take out a weapons factory in his younger days.

"The mission pulled off without a hitch, but out extraction shuttled as spaced and we were stuck down on the planet for a week. The idiot Krogan got himself blown in half five minutes into the mission, so it was just me and her." He shrugged, as he continued his meal while reciting the memory. As he often did, he seemed to drift off into the past a bit when he told it, not without a little pride in his voice. "She made the first move. Up to then, I had never considered fucking anything that wasn't human or asari at least. But when she started purring in my ear, I didn't care that she was turian..."

The story was cut short when the blue armored figure of Garrus came strolling around the corner into the mess. Jacob's eyes were drawn to him, and Zaeed simply grinned to himself as he finished off his plate of food. Neither man missed the fact that the turian seemed in an especially good mood, but neither one commented on it as he made his way over to the Rupert. His breakfast was a bit more substantial than what Shepard had requested, though neither man could make heads of tails of what exactly it was on the plate he brought over to their table. "Mind if I join you?"

"Feel free," Zaeed replied gruffly, waving absently to the seat across from them. Garrus nodded as he set the plate down and started eating the redish green meat mixed with an oddly purple plant that may or may not have been a vegetable.

Jacob and Zaeed both eyed him in silence for a long moment, to which he almost seemed oblivious for a long moment before speaking up, startling Jacob a bit just with the fact that he had heard that part of the conversation. "There are few things in this galaxy as arousing as a purring turian woman, are there, Zaeed?"

Jacob groaned, Zaeed laughed, and Garrus grinned as he thought about the one woman who he considered to be far more arousing than even the most melodiously purring turian.

* * *

Typical. Just typical. The Council had been handed information on a platter, and they would say nothing more than 'It will be reviewed. We will send you more information as soon as we reach a decision.' Lazy, bureaucratic _fucks._ Jack would have been proud of the language running through her mind as she stormed out of the elevator. They could think she was crazy all she wanted, she expected it now. But to so simply brush aside simple information from a source that everyone trusted to be accurate, though not always legal? It was pure stupidity. She was seething, and was glad Garrus was not there to break her good pissed off mood, because she wanted something to vent on.

"Shepard? Is that you?"

_You've got to be fucking kidding me._

Heading towards her, looking good in his molder uniform, was the man with a dark pair of eyes that she had allowed herself to get lost in at one time. He didn't seem to have changed much at all. The same build, the same clean shaven face, the same smile, the same... Hair. Ugh. When was he going to change that hair cut? Even after Horizon, she almost felt enough pity to tell him how ridiculous it actually looked on him. Maybe on someone else it would have been fine, but not on him. It simply clashed with his clean cut military lifestyle. _  
_

Stopping almost against her will, she turned to fully face Alinko with a small sigh parting her lips. He seemed more confident that he ever had back on the SR1. There was no hesitation in his step, and there was something in the way he carried himself that she understood. It was the walk of someone who was in command, and knew what to do with that responsibility. The fact that he was smiling at her, as if Horizon had never happened was grating on her nerves. She gave him only a curt nod of greeting. "Kaiden."

"I heard you had made it back from the Omega Relay," he said as he stopped only about two steps away from her. "I was.. Relieved, you know? I wanted the chance to make sure that..."

"Look, Kaiden..."

"Please, I wanted to make sure that what I said on Horizon was not the last thing I said to you," he cut her off, seeming unaware of the fact that doing so had caused her jaw to tighten. "I realize that a lot of what I said was out of line. I know you, Shepard. I know that you wouldn't do anything unless you felt it was the right thing to do. But you have to see things from my point of view..."

She placed her hand on her forehead for a moment as she listened to him talk. The words she expected to hear, and some she didn't care to hear. 'Forgive me' 'Cerberus' 'Still care' 'Another chance'.

It was the last one that caused her head to whip back up to him, her eyes blazing with such heat that even as confident as he was now, he was forced to take a step back. "Another chance? I was _dead_ Kaiden. I wasn't on vacation, and I wasn't trying to avoid you. I died, spaced, a frozen corpse that burned up in the atmophere of a frozen planet along with twenty other crewmen from the Normandy. I know that two years passed, but it didn't feel like two years to me. It was like minutes had passed, and when I see you again, expecting some warmth at least, you blow me off and basically call me a traitor!" He looked like he had been punched in the gut, and she was glad for it. He deserved it.

"Everyone else, Kaiden, _everyone else _that I've met from the old crew trusted me. They knew who I was, and they knew why I was with Cerberus. Tali, Chakwas, Joker, Wrex... Garrus." Her voice softened on the last one, but her eyes grew hard again when she focused her anger on him. "But you, you were so high on the belief that I had somehow betrayed you that you closed your mind to everything I said. You acted like a child, the one who should have jumped at the chance to be at my side again..!"

Her last word was muffled when he stepped close to her and pulled her against him. Body to body, mouth to mouth. He was kissing her, and seemed desperate to prove that there was something between them worth saving. Not just her mind knew how wrong it was. He was strong, but he was soft. There was not plating, his lips were far too soft, his taste was... Wrong. Her heart, her mind, and her body knew that there was nothing left in her for this man. He wasn't Garrus.

For his efforts, all he received was a solid punch in the jaw. To his credit he didn't fall over, but she had not really put all that much effort into it. She was winded, and she was furious as he raised his eyes to her. He looked like a freshly scolded puppy, and she opened her mouth to speak...

The flash of blue that overtook the human was not expected, nor was the snarling hiss that followed it. Shepard blinked when she realized what was happening. Her heart was very much in her throat when she watched Garrus slam the human biotic against the nearest wall, and using one hand was _lifting _him off the ground. She had not seen a look of murder in his eyes like that even when he had tracked down Sidonis, and not seen such a raw display of strength from a turian since Sarren had lifted her off her feet in much the same way just before the nuke had gone off on Virmire. The flutter of appreciation that came from her lower belly was forced firmly into the background when she yelled out his name. "Garrus! Stand down!"

Not that it mattered, even if he had heard her. The fact was that, for every other flaw he had, Kaiden was an amazingly powerful biotic and knew very well how to handle himself in close combat. Even as he struggled for breath, his body flared with blue light a moment before it enveloped the enraged turian and sent him flying across the walkway until he almost fell over the bridge into the water below. The fact that he managed to catch himself was a momentary victory, because even as he regained his balance another wave of blue energy slammed into him and sent him sliding across the bridge. A furious Kaiden stalked towards him, only to be stopped when Shepard stepped between him and the recovering turian.

Having her standing between them caused both men to stop, neither one willing to risk hurting her. And while Shepard was well aware of the fact that there were various people watching in awe of the rare display of violence so close to the Council Chambers, the two of them seemed oblivious as they stared each other down. "What the hell, Garrus? The is between me and Shepard! It has nothing to do with..."

* * *

"It has everything to do with me, you soft bellied son of a varren bitch!"

Both humans were stunned to stillness by the words that came out of the turian's mouth, which allowed him time to close the distance between them. Leaving Shepard between them, because he knew she would give him no other choice, he jabbed his finger into the annoying male's face. "_You_ walked away from her. _You _ignored the fact that she basically invited you back into her life. _You _turned your back on everything she's fighting for. And _you _have lost any right you might have had to her." He could hardly contain his rage, and had he not feared hurting Shepard in the process, he would have torn into the male again. "I am tired of _you_! I swear, Alinko, if you ever lay a hand on her again I'll give it back to you in a fucking jar, do you understand?"

How dare he? After everything he had done, how dare he even think he had the right to kiss her? The pain he had felt when he had turned the corner to see the two of them kissing had been horrendous. As if his entire world had been torn apart and left in some alley to rot. He had not felt such horrible loss since she had died, and it was by the grace of whatever Ancestor watched over him that he had remained still long enough to watch as his mate slugged the man for it. She had not wanted it, and his elation in that had quickly turned to rage at the fact that Kaiden had touched her at all. And to presume that Garrus had no right to interfere? His blood was boiling, and even with Shepard between them his hands flexed within armored gloves over and over again with the desire to wring his neck.

"Garrus!" Her voice drew his attention, and the press of her hand into the armor that covered his chest soothed him. But only a little. "It's all right. I think he gets the point..." She yanked her head to the side, directing his gaze to C-sec officers that had gathered to investigate the disturbance. With a simple warning growl towards Kaiden again, he calmed himself as much as he could. But he did not move an inch. If she thought he was going to simply back down and walk away, she was wrong. Well, as long as she didn't put on her Commander Shepard no questions asked voice and order him to walk away.

Thankfully, she did not. Instead, she turned to Kaiden who was watching the turian with dark eyes wary of another attack. When it was obvious that no attack was forthcoming, he focused his gaze on Shepard again. "I'm sorry, Shepard... I shouldn't have kissed you. But, you have to know that I still feel a lot for you. I want another chance to prove it, to be like it was before you.. Died."

Was he really that blind? How had Shepard ever considered this man a possible mate? Even across species it should have been obvious, but then again humans did have the bad habit of ignoring important things. Like the fact that another growl rose in Garrus' throat when the idea of Shepard taking him back was even mentioned. Shepard answered quickly enough, however. "No, Kaiden. I'm sorry, but there is no chance. I've... Move on. We can be comrades, even friends, but there is no way."

_Tell him, Shepard._

Crestfallen as he was, Shepard gave him a pat on the shoulder. Sympathy, and the true desire to remain friends with him. But nothing more than that before she turned to walk away, taking a hold Garrus' arm to pull him with her. It wasn't until they almost reached the bridge that Alinko called out behind them again. "Please, Shepard. Tell me. Anything. Isn't there anything?"

_Say it, Jane. He needs to know._ I_ need to know what you think we are._

She paused, and the male at her side watched as she faced the human again. A smile played over her lips for a moment, before she shook her head slowly. "Be Garrus."

* * *

Warm and fuzzy was not exactly how she was feeling right now. Even her confession to Kaiden that her heart belonged to the turian beside her had not helped her mood at all. After the shock had passed, his defeated gaze lingered on her for a moment before he had simply nodded and walked away. Walked away from her, again.

Was this what would always happen? When things got tough, when life took an unexpected turn, could she expect everyone she cared about to simply walk away from her because they may or may not have agreed with her choices? What change would happen that could make Garrus leave her? She had never expected her life to be simple, and it never had been. Nothing was constant. Her crew changed, her mission changed, her allies changed, even her ship changed. But the very idea that Garrus might...

"I never have agreed with your letting Sedonis go," the resounding voice of her lover said beside her as they walked. The words were enough to make her pause her steps, and look up at him with her brows drawn together in concern. He stopped when she did, and turned to face her fully. "I understood your reasons, and I understand why you didn't want me to do it. I don't hold it against you, but there is still this little voice in my head that tells me I should have taken the shot. Ten of my men, Shepard. Ten of them died because of him, and you would not let me take the shot."

She felt her guts twisting into knots as he looked down at her. She could see that something haunted him, and he was still angry. Because of that? She didn't know, but her lack of words did not stop him from continuing.

"And when you found me on Omega, and I learned that you had joined Cerberus. I couldn't understand it, knowing the things they had done. And the number of times that we, as a team, had clashed with them because of the laws they had broken and lives they had destroyed. I couldn't understand it." Stepping closer to her, he reached out with one hand to slide his fingers through her hair slowly as predatory blues locked with confused and concerned green. "But like I said then, I trust you. I trust you to know that what you are doing it right, even if I don't agree with it right away. Even if, now, I still don't understand some of your choices."

She couldn't help it, and couldn't stop the swelling within her chest as she looked up at him, and understood what he was trying to tell her. But he wasn't finished, and before she could speak, he started to growl. "And I will never walk away from you like he has. I will never turn my back on what we share, Shepard. You're not just my Commanding officer. You're not just my lover, or my friend, or someone that I trust. You are all of those things, and you are more. You are my _mate_." The last word was spoken with such passion that she found herself in awe of the feeling he was expressing to her. "My body, my heart, and the essence that makes me who I am I have given to you. I am never walking away from you, Shepard. Someone will have to kill me first." His mandibles flared just a bit, a small, amused grin as he cupped the side of her face. "Even if that someone is you."

Repeating the words of their bond, she found it hard to see for a moment as mist covered her eyes. Resisting the desire to break down into tears in the middle of the Citadel had never been a problem before now. She was dully aware of the light buzzing of conversation around them. Obviously, some people had heard what was being said between them, and more than one turian was watching in open shock at the words Garrus had just said to her. And while she knew he must have been aware of them as well, his gaze did not for one moment waver from her. A small snort left her at his last words, and she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. More surprised murmurs and even one cry of disgust reaching her as she slipped her fingers easily over his fringe. An action which caused him to release a throaty purring growl as his hands found her hips.

_To hell with rumors. To hell if everyone knows, _she thought as she pressed her lips to the side of his scarred mandible. _I love this damned Turian. _

"When I heard that you were on the Citadel, I decided I would track you down while I was here," a voice came from beside them. She instantly felt Garrus go stiff against her, and curious she turned her eyes to face the turian male beside them. He was older, as was obvious by the faded color of his plates and the slightly dull state of his fringe. But he carried himself with an air of someone who was all important, and his eyes were focused on the two standing in front of him, the distaste in his voice obvious as he continued. "I did not expect to find you in the arms of a _human, _however."

_You've _got _to be..._

"Father," she heard Garrus rumbled from beside her, seeming less than pleased with his being there.

_...fucking kidding me..._

_

* * *

_

Mwhahahahaha. I love the end of this chapter. Actually, I just like the whole chapter. I liked writing it. Garrus being all one arm lifting Eraser Head? I snickered while writing it. _  
_

Anyhoo... My lady is coming to visit me this long weekend, so not more writing until next week. One reason this chapter is so long, leaving you with something to read. :-p Have a great 4th for those who calibrate ( ::Snicker fit:: ) it out there! ::Sets off fireworks!::


	11. Chapter 10

Weekend is over! Yay! So, here is the next chapter. Garras and his dad, one on one! Ring side tickets are 50 creds!

* * *

_We'll do lunch. Have a pleasant meal while we talk about what you've been doing with this human. In an all turian dinner. At a table with only two chairs. While pretending that she does not exist.  
_

Fuming was the right word for it. Everything today seemed to be working again her, and had it not been for the words Garrus had spoken to her no more than half an hour before Jane Shepard might have grabbed the older turian by the mandibles and flung him from one arm of the Citadel to another.

She had never liked Garrus' father. She had never met him, and she had never liked him. Every time the vigilante she found herself loving more by the day so much as mentioned his name, she could feel the tension that he all but radiated. It was little wonder, given the warm reception she had received. She might have wondered if it was because of her status as a Specter, or her species, if she had cared enough to wonder what he thought about her. Anyone in the galaxy who could look at Garrus, and not be proud of the son they had raised did not deserve her respect, her concern, or a moment of her time. If Garrus had not been roped into having this conversation, if it could be called a conversation, she would have informed the older turian about what exactly he could do with his feelings about their relationship.

"An honest assumption that you have been sleeping with this human," she heard him drone on. And drone was exactly the right word. His voice held no emotion that she could detect. She almost felt the need to check him for a pulse. "Given the fact that she had her hands all over your fringe and you made no point to keep _your_ hands off her waist."

The logistics of the conversation were odd as well. Despite the insistence that Garrus be the one to take a seat across from his father, or perhaps because of that insistence, he had all but swept her into the chair before she had been given a chance to protest. He could have done it for any number of reasons, though the most likely was to make it impossible for him to simply ignore her as they spoke. Garrus had taken his place behind her, like some honor guard hovering close enough that she could feel the heat even through his armor. It was comforting, because the ice coming from the other direction was as close to absolute zero as she had ever encountered.

"Honestly, I'm surprised by the assumption, father," Garrus rumbled from behind her. She could tell that he was in strict control at the moment, with his voice kept level and calm, though she could certainly feel the tension in the air between the two. "Not to say that your 'hunch' is not correct, but you've never been one to hold personal relationships against anyone. I mean, mother is..."

"Your mother is not the concern here. And she is turnian at least, so that voids your argument."

Shepard couldn't believe what she was hearing. His swift decition to dismiss what his son had said reminded her of a court hearing. Was that really how he felt when he was facing his son? Like he was some sort of judge overseeing a criminal?

"After your disappearance from known space, your lack of communication to anyone in the family, and quitting C-sec for the second time, I am almost wondering if I am looking at my son at all. You have set aside everything that I have taught you, everything that we stand for. Law, Order, Justice, Loyalty..."

"There is no one more loyal than Garrus, Inspector." As calm as both males seemed, Shepard just couldn't keep her mouth shut anymore. But the little comment was also meant to test the waters, see if maybe she could get a rise out of the elder turian.

His eyes, a cloudy gray that reminded her of the storm clouds on earth, turned to focus on her for a moment. As calm as he was, there was a predatory glint in them when he looked at her that left her little question as to where Garrus had gotten that particular look. After little more than a second, he turned his attention back to his son as of she had never spoken. "I am aware of most people think of you now, Garrus. They still sing your praises as one of those who helped save the Citadel. And now your funeral dirge on Omega... Archangel."

Shepard felt as if she had been hit in the gut. According to all reports out of Omega, Archangel was dead. Nothing had said otherwise, save for some 'idea' that Aria had in her head about Archangel being turina, and Shepard suddenly showing up with a missile blasted turian at her side. But even Aria had not know Garrus name. How the hell did this retired C-sec inspector know? Where had the information come from? The pressure of Garrus' hand on her shoulder prevented her from saying anything, though she studied the faded turian in front of her more closely now. She was starting to see more family resemblance than she cared to admit, and she saw a lot of Garrus in him. Obsessive, intelligent, strong willed, and dangerous. Very dangerous.

"What I was on Omega has no bearing on what I am, or what I am doing now," Garrus commented, though even she knew that it was a weak argument. Even according to him it had everything to do with what he was now, and what he had been before. "Every mistake that I have made in my life is my own doing, and you can no more blame Shepard for that than I can blame you. I chose to follow her, to chase after Saren. Afterwards, I chose to enter Specter training rather than go back into C-sec. When she died, I lost my will to do even that. Do you remember the last letter I sent you?"

"Of course I remember the last letter you sent me," his father replied, almost seeming insulted that someone would believe he might forget a detail. "And I remember my reply to it as well. How I told you that you sounded like an infant for all of your whining. You did everything but blubber incoherently at the funeral, making a fool of yourself simply because your commanding officer had..."

"_My mate!_" Garrus snarled, making Shepard jump as he stormed around her chair to slam his fist into the table between them. It also caused the first emotional reaction that she could remember from the elder turian, as his eyes narrowed and he glared at his son. A glare that was returned in a manor that would have made most back away for fear of being torn to shreds. "Ignore me, and call me what you will father, but you can't ignore her any more! She saved the Council, she saved the Citadel, she marched into death because no one wanted to listen to her. But she was _loyal_! To them, to the galaxy, to the people who follow her, while everyone turned their back on her! Called her insane, called her a loose cannon with dilutions about non-existent threats to every species in the galaxy! I wasn't blubbering, I was seething. I was furious! I wanted to pull the Council down from their fucking throne on high, and shove their face into every fact that they were ignoring because they didn't want to cause a 'panic' by releasing news on the Reapers. If they had listened to begin with, Sovereign never would have reached the Citadel to cause the mass destruction, and the thousands of deaths that it caused! _That _was a Reaper, and _that _was panic!"

Now she was left to watch as Garrus and his father, who had stood halfway through the rant, stood toe to toe. They were exactly the same height, almost the same build, and had it not been for the obvious signs of age and the color of his eyes, Shepard would have been hard pressed to tell the difference between them. Not that either one of them seemed particularly intimidated by the other.

"Now you will look at my _mate _for who she is, or we have nothing else to say to one another!"

When he finished what he was saying, he jabbed one gloved talon in her direction as if to make sure that his father would know exactly where to look. This also had the side effect of letting every turian in the place know exactly who Garrus had referred to as his mate, and the buzz of conversation was heard from all around them.

* * *

"Might I ask what everyone is doing?" Miranda asked as she walked into the mess hall. It seemed like every member of the crew was gathered, watching one of the screens on the far wall. Her eyes scanning those around, she first noted that most seemed to completely miss the fact that she had spoken at all. Something that set a frown on her lips, and caused her to march in front of the screen everyone was watching. She drew cries of protest and a few unfriendly threats from Jack as she stood there with her hands on her hips. "What is going on he...!"

_"_My mate! _Ignore me, and call me what you will father, but you can't ignore her any more! She saved the Council, she saved the Citadel, she marched into death because no one wanted to listen to her. But she was loyal! To them, to the galaxy, to the people who follow her, while everyone turned their back on her! Called her insane, called her a loose cannon with dilutions about non-existent threats to every species in the galaxy! I wasn't blubbering, I was seething. I was furious! I wanted to pull the Council down from their fucking throne on high, and shove their face into every fact that they were ignoring because they didn't want to cause a 'panic' by releasing news on the Reapers. If they had listened to begin with, Sovereign never would have reached the Citadel to cause the mass destruction, and the thousands of deaths that it caused! _That _was a Reaper, and _that _was panic! Now you will look at my _mate_ for who she is, or we have nothing else to say to one another!"_

Miranda, having whirled around as soon as she heard Garrus' voice on the screen, was standing in an almost slack jawed state of shock. Clear as day, there was a news cast with the translation of the words being spoken scrolling in a dozen different languages. On some level, she heard Jack laughing like a lunatic in the background. Of course Jack would take delight in it. She had been one of the first to 'know for a fact' that Shepard and Vakarian were 'knocking boots' as she had so tactfully put it. Tactful for Jack, anyway. The other terms she had used on the many occasions in which she had brought the subject up just to get on her nerves included banging, fucking like rabbits, clam humping the shell, and the one time she had caught Miranda so off guard that she had lost control of the coffee she had been sipping; 'So, Cheerleader. You think Shepard will tell me if all bones on the bird man are hollow?'

Listening with one ear to the conversations behind her, she kept her other ear on the new report. "_And so it seems that Specter Jane Shepard, well known as the key player in stopping the Geth mother ship Sovereign from destroying the Citadel, has a well defined relationship with former C-sec officer and standing Specter candidate, Garrus Vakarian. In terms of Turian relationships, experts all agree that the aggressive stance seen here, and the use of the word 'mate' in reference to the Commander are all clear signs that this is anything but a casual affair. We take you now to an interview with the Commander and Officer Vakarian shortly after the tape we have just shown."_

The image panned to what was obviously a quickly moving bot in pursuit while filming, trying to catch up with the retreating backs of Garrus and Shepard. For Miranda, seeing them walk together from the outside as she was now, she was taken by how much larger than Shepard Garrus seemed. Maybe because Shepard was larger than life when faced with her in person, seeming to exude authority and an attitude that left little questions about who was in charge.

_"Commander Shepard! Commander Shepard, can we have a moment of your time?"_

"I wonder if she realizes what kind of mine field she's walking into?" Jacob muttered, mostly to himself as he watched with rapt attention.

"Who cares!" Joker quipped, turning his head back towards the end of the kitchen. "Gardner, popcorn! We need popcorn!"

"I'm not making any damned popcorn. I might miss something."

"What's.. Popcorn?" Tali cut in, looking like she had no desire to take her eyes off the screen no matter what strange words or foods were going between the human crew.

"Aww, come on. It only takes like..."

"Shut. Up!"

Everyone in the room went quiet in the face of Grunt's sudden demand for silence, but most were quick to forget it when the reporter managed to stop the Commander and Garrus. _"Commander Shepard, given lingering tensions between Turians and Humanity after The First Contact War, there is some speculation as to the validity of your relationship with a turian ex C-sec. Is it true that this is actually an attempt to draw further attention to what you call 'The Reapers?'"_

"Ohhh, bad way to word that question," Joker snickered as he leaned closer to the screen. He was not disappointed, as Shepard whirled on the reporter (why did she look so familiar? Maybe the haircut...) and without saying a word in reply to the question, introduced her fist to the underside of the woman's jaw. Unlike the last time she had slugged the woman (ah ha! That's it), when she went down this time, she was out like a light. The cam-bot focused on the reporter, then panned the image back to Shepard and Garrus. Just in time to have the Turian vigilante snarl at the unfortunate machine.

Everyone in the room was treated to fifteen seconds of cursing and growling as the bot was swung from one side to the next, apparently being slammed into any hard object nearby before the screen went dark and the blond who had started the report appeared again. _"And.. There you have it. A statement from C-sec is still pending, but there have been no charges filed as of yet."_

"Ha! Worthy of my battle master indeed. Did you see the way he..."

Silence was quick to fall over the all around amused crew when the elevator swooshed open, Shepard and Garrus walking out. The change in their attitudes from violent to seemly amused and content was obvious. Everyone listened with rapt interest when Shepard continued whatever she had been saying without noticing that most of the crew was within earshot. "...it's not my fault that your growl is a turn on. Vices, remember?"

She paused, partly because she realized that he had stopped walking, and partly because she could clearly see the reason why. Groaning a bit inwardly, she still managed to pull herself to attention as she faced over half the crew. Faced the grinning faces, hands covering mouths, barely controlled laughter, and one Quarian with her face plate buried in her arms to hide embarrassment no one could see anyway. Somehow, she managed to keep herself from turning many different shades of red and her face remained calm and stoic as she looked around at all of them. "If there is anything anyone wants to say, say it now."

To everyone's surprise, it was Miranda who spoke first. She sounded exasperated, and confused as one dark eyebrow perked upward while she looked between the two. "Growling, Commander? Really?"

* * *

And so ends another chapter. I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. I think Shepard was too quiet, but that will change soon enough anyway. Daddy will show up again in the near future. I'll bring more light to the end of that little conversation later, when it actually means something to the story. For now, added just a little crack at the end. I myself, Paragon or Renegade, always slug that bitch of a reporter. It's just fun. :) Falcon... **Punch!**

Next chapter up as soon as I can write it. :)


	12. Chapter 11

_And so, the story continues. After a short break to write Death and Destruction, I have once again returned to the Turian and Commander we all love. Yay!_

_I find this chapter to be... Erm... Well, you'll see! Enjoy!_

_None of this is mine, bioware is awesome, all hail bioware, bla bla._

* * *

_"Commander Shepard. We have received word of an Alliance Captain in distress. Apparently, this Captain entered the Terminus systems searching for you. We believe that the intent was to join your crew, or assist you in your present mission to find information on the possible Reaper threat. This Captain is, to my knowledge, not acting on any order from Alliance Command, but as of yet has not been classified as rogue. What you do when you find them, is up to you. All intel on the last known location to follow. I have no further information."  
_

_

* * *

_"I've said this before, Shepard. Why don't we ever go anywhere nice?" she heard Garrus grumble as they left the cold interior of the abandoned Alliance base, and stepped into the colder world outside. "Some planet where the average temperature is higher than negative thirty, and the asari Commando squads want to give us massages rather than preforming unspeakable acts of violence on us. Maybe a place where we actually know who we're looking for, and hope that when we find them they have some nice, hot (translator glitch) waiting for us."

Keeping her eyes open, and knowing full well that he was doing the same even as he complained, she slipped into the next building silently. The sub-machine gun darting around each corner swiftly before she raised her hand in the all clear sign. Thane slipped through after her, making as much sound as the walls themselves as he trained his scope onto every dark corner than might have held a threat. Again she wondered how the Drell could wear nothing more than black leather and not freeze to death, not that she was one to complain about the view. From either side of her. Once he nodded the all clear, Garrus followed through before Shepard finally replied to his complaints. "For your sake, I hope that translator glitch was some kind of warm tea."

"A soup, actually," he replied even as he slipped behind cover. Pointless, at the moment, but an action that was second nature to all of them. Any time they didn't take cover, Shepard reminded them about the side of Garrus' face as a means to explain how staying behind cover was a good thing. "Come on, Shepard. Asari are so... Blue. Or purple. I can't very well be attracted to something the same color as my armor, or the same color as my..."

"We get the point, dear," she smirked as she motioned both of them ahead while even the calm Thane released a short chuckle. What a team she had. The banter kept things from getting too tense, but they moved with an ease and precision that would have made her instructors from the Academy ask for lessons.

"Right then. Besides, I've always been partial to soft brown, sable black... And green."

Seeing how he had just discribed her skin tone, her hair color, and her eyes, Commander Shepard couldn't help the warm feeling that almost managed to break through the cold. He was getting smoother with those compliments, she had to admit. The more comfortable they became, the less he stumbled over his words with her when he meant them. "Alright, Vakarian. Save those compliments for a time when I am actually mad at you. Gunfire up ahead, and biotic from the sound of it. More Commandos."

They all froze and all talk came to a stop when Thane, who had kept pace ahead of the two of them, held up one hand. Three fingers were held up, closed, and then a single didget took their place before he motioned forward swiftly.

When she and Garrus both nodded, Thane vanished around the corner as if he had been no more solid than the holographic EDI, Shepard following behind him while Garrus covered their six. "He's really got to teach me how to do that," Garrus quipped over the sound of gunfire. The room was a mess, with scorch marks on just about every wall, bolted tables forcefully turned down to be used as cover, and various areas exposed to the outside where some force had torn a hole in the structure. Whoever it was the Commandos were fighting, they had to be good to hold out against this sort of onslaught. It looked as if the battle had been going on for some time, too. Ozone was thick in the air, even through the filters of her helmet.

"Garrus, go high. Second story to the left. Thane, take the right. I'll hold the center with our friend." She could clearly see this friend now, crouched down behind a make shift barrier of various types of office furniture and what looked like a piece of wall. White and blue heavy armor, a woman from the shape, holding and assault rifle in one hand with dozens of spent thermal clips laying around her feet. The bars of a captain on one arm told Shepard that they had found who they were looking for, unless there was another Alliance Captain running around the Terminus systems with a death wish that she had not been told about.

The scene itself reminded her of when she had first found Garrus again, facing down three merc companies with a sniper rifle and an apparent desire to get himself killed. Of course, this woman did not have a bridge holding off the three Asari Commandos, so there were a few bonus points to make up for the fact that it was just three of them. That she had apparently cleared out most the the base before they had even arrived was certainly reason for a pat on the back, if they managed to extract her in once piece.

Once both men had slipped away, covered by a hail of machine gun fire from Shepard and a few bursts from the assault rifle from the other, Shepard rushed into the room and slid into cover beside the alliance captain. The helm turned towards her as she made a swift introduction. "Commander Shepard, Normandy. We're here to help."

The figure was silent for a moment, as they both ducked when a warp field erupted on the other side of the barricade. Once it had harmlessly dissipated, the assault rifle sounded again sharply before the woman turned back to Shepard. "I didn't think you would be so hard to find, Jane. I'm glad you came to help your mother out."

"Mom? !"

* * *

"Mom? !"

Garrus almost, just almost tripped into cover when he heard Jane call the woman her mother. Luckily, he managed to slide into place without falling out of cover and getting his head taken off by the thump of blue energy that slammed into the metal sheet he had ducked behind. Shepard's mother? War hero? All around symbol of what it was to be a good soldier in the Alliance? Highly decorated, honored several times by various governments including the Council, advocate for peace between Turians and humans? That Captain?

The last bit was not much comfort. Just because you wanted peace, didn't mean you wanted your daughter to run off and mate with a turian. Did it? Of course not.

"What are you doing here, mother?" Shepard demanded as she glanced over the baricade just long enough to have a barrage of gunfire centered in her direction.

"I've been keeping track of your progress since I heard you were still alive," came the reply, as the elder Shepard darted out of cover to fire to return fire while the Commandos replaced their thermal clips. "The Council may have rejected and tried to cover up what happened at the Citadel as a Geth attack, but I know my daughter."

"Of course you do." He couldn't quite read the tone in Jane's voice, so he couldn't decide if this was a good, or a bad thing. Happy to see her mother, maybe. Happy to see her mother being blasted at by biotics? Probably not so much.

"I do. You know I do. For one, you are not insane, and I have no doubt that you are not delusions, and I did not raise a liar. Not that there would be any good reason to lie about a fleet of massive AIs out to esterminate life that I can think of at the moment, but that goes back to my belief that you are not insane."

It was... Interesting to say the least. Shepard was so distracted by her mother, that she had forgotten to issue orders for Thane and himself, other than taking high ground. Not reason enough for him to sit and do nothing, but some battle plan was always handy for making situations like this end more quickly. "Commander?"

"Well, I'm glad to know that you don't think I'm insane. At least one person who's not on my crew thinks so."

"About that. The reason I came out into the Terminus systems was to see if I might join your crew. I still have my ship, unless you were sent here by the Alliance to arrest me for leaving dock without clearance." Garrus noted that there was not a hint of worry in her voice when she said this, though anything beyond that he couldn't really read. The fact that all of it was happening while both women would pop up and throw a few rounds carelessly at their attackers almost made him want to snicker, if he had not been aware of how deadly Asari Commandos were.

He turned his gaze to Thane, who turned his calm eyes back to him as if they were thinking the same thing, at the same moment. Was he amused? The turian's mandibles twitched once under his own helmet when he saw a gleam in the eyes of the Drell. Other than that, nothing changed his face but it was obvious that they were on the same page when he nodded. Raising one hand, Garrus started to round of three silent numbers from left to right.

"Look, we'll talk about this later. We need to get out of here first. You take the one on the left, and I'll get the two on the right."

"Mother, I'm not under your command. And even if I am Commander, Captain, I am also a Specter. So I don't answer to you." A pause followed that, before he heard Shepard amend the statement. "At least while in uniform, ma'am."

"This isn't about who's in command, dear." That tone he knew well enough. Exasperation was clear in the Captain's voice for a moment before she amended in an almost cheerful voice. "It's about efficiency. In case you hadn't noticed, I did clear the base before you got here."

"I'll awed by your skills later, mother." The same, tone for tone, exasperation that her mother had just given. So that's where Jane got her 'talk patiently with Miranda while still sounding annoyed' voice. "Right now, I have a team and I am in command, so we're going to..."

Garrus gave Thane a swift nod before both of them rose from cover. In the order he had indicated, both men fired at the attacking asari with their scopes aimed for the head. The first round from Garrus would drop the barrier, and the second from Thane would end a few hundred years of pretty much wasted life. The flawless way in which it was pulled off thrilled him a bit, even as one warp struck him directly in the chest. At full shields it was not enough to lower them however, and the final Commando went down with the final volley.

With no sign of further threat in the area, Garrus drew himself to his feet, and turned his gaze down to the women only to find that both helmets were trained on him as he walked out of cover towards the center of the walkway. Adding a little swagger helped, and one hand reached up to unclasp his helmet and pull it away just for effect. Style was important, after all. When Thane joined him in the center of the walkway, both raised their rifles and ejected thermal clips in a moment that really should have been in an action vid of some kind before Garrus called down to both women. "How about I take command for a while, since you two have some catching up to do."

Silence followed, as he waited for a reaction. It was broken when Captain Shepard leaned her helmet closer to her daughters as if it would lower the volume of the radio to whisper level. "Is that Garrus Vakarian?"

A short nod came before Shepard's reply, though he could hear the tension in her voice. She was obviously fearing some sort of reaction akin to his father's. "Yes, that's Garrus."

Another silence followed, which made Garrus wonder if he should say something. 'Hello' would be a nice start, but the idea was gone when Captain Shepard leaned close to her daughter again. "A little smug, isn't he?"

He was going to try his best not to make a bad first impression on his mate's mother. Clearing his throat, he was about to speak when Jane replied in a voice that was almost conspiratory. "He is, isn't he?"

Captain Shepard gave a laugh that was every bit feminine, something that seemed almost out of place from an Alliance captain of such decoration and reputation. "Forgive him this time, dear. He resolved our dispute. And that was pretty hot."

"Mother!" Shock in her voice, though the statement in itself made Garrus' mandibles flutter uneasily. Had her mother just called him attractive? Unless his understanding of the term "hot" as it was often used by humans was wrong, that's exactly what had happened. If Turians could blush, he would have been purple right now. He settled for being miserably silent next to Thane, who (force once) was being ignored by the females in the immediate area. He knew for a fact that he heard a grin in Jane's voice when she added, "He is, isn't he?"

Sighing in defeat, Garrus raised his hand to his ear to signal the Normandy. "Ground team to Normandy. We're ready for pick up, and we're bringing a very important guest." Pausing when he heard Captain Shepard comment on his seeming shy, he drew his mandibles tightly against his jaw before he added. "As quickly as possible would be nice."

* * *

And so ends another one. :) I follow the idea that not all mother/daughter relationships are shy when talking about men. I would know. My mother and sister were down right blunt when they did it, and they knew I was in the room.

Pity poor Garrus Vakarian! He had no idea what he's in for! LOL Find out next chapter.


	13. Chapter 12

_R&R people. We authors are feeling unloved. :( 1.9 thousand readers this month, and only 18 reviews. That's like... 0.1%! :-p_

_Continuing the mommy part of my saga. This one centers around Garrus and Captain Shepard, as promised._

_Still, forgive any problems. I fixed the Kaidan thing, but my beta has abandoned me. ::Sob:: lol  
_

_Bio ware owns all of this, etc etc. Anyone else ever get tired of saying it? o.o_

* * *

Midnight snacks. That's what humans called it. Turians just called it being hungry in the middle of the night, and eating to satisfy it. He found himself liking the term midnight snack, simply because it took less time to say. The 'fresh' food they had acquired back on the Citadel suited his palate well enough, though he would never have called it fresh. Even on it's best day it was freeze dried, tasted like fifteen different types of preservative, and was slightly off in color. The soft green was just half a shade too green because of the freezing process. Color was important, more so than with other species he was leaning. Some human dishes could be prepared the same way five times and come out a different color each time. Just a process of mixture, or ripeness in the case of fruit or vegetables.

It almost made him wonder how they have lived as long as they had, eating things when they couldn't even tell by color if it was edible. Slowly chewing the vegetable in front of him now, he still managed to savor it. It was so much better than flavored paste, or the little ration squares that crunched when you bit into them no matter how long they were soaked in water. Sure, they had everything the body needs, but after the last time he had been on the Normandy SR1 for months without real food, he had started to wonder what Quarian tasted like. A fact that he would never let anyone know. Ever.

And he knew that he was just distracting himself with thoughts of food. His trouble, and the reason he found it so hard to sleep, was Captain Shepard. Hard to sleep might not have been the right way to put it. Hard to sleep with Jane when her mother was on the same ship sounded a little more accurate. Turian custom was not exactly strict in terms of sexuality, not within their own species anyway, but that didn't mean you jumped into bed with a female when her mother was anywhere in the area. They would be able to smell it. It was uncomfortable, and while no law controlled it, it was more a social taboo than anything else. Which was just as bad. Knowing that Jane's mother wouldn't be able to smell it didn't change the fact that she was there. And Shepard knew that something was up when he had not laid a talon on her before going to bed. Not that every single night was spent making love (just most), but that didn't mean they didn't playfully tease each other even when too exhausted to go further.

Way to man up, Garrus. Father rants and nearly disowns you, no problem. Her mother shows up and smiles, and now you're afraid to even be in the same room with her.

Sighing slowly, he pushed the remainder of his plate away and closed his eyes while leaning back in his seat. Going to the main battery wouldn't help either. He was accustomed to Jane being there, and while he knew he could adapt to sleeping without her easily enough, he would rather not if it could be helped.

"Well, Officer Vakarian," came an almost sing song voice from behind him. As friendly as it seemed, he was suddenly sitting ramrod straight in his chair as he turned his gaze towards the elder Shepard. "I didn't expect to find you up at this hour, though I am going to take advantage of this chance to have a little talk."

He didn't even have a chance to stand to properly greet her... Salute her.. Whatever he was supposed to do in this situation. Maybe begging for mercy would have worked. Whatever he had been planning to do was lost when she settled into the chair across the table from him, and he was once again struck by how much she looked like Shepard. Or Shepard looked like her, to think correctly. Her hair was silver now, and longer, and the age had added a few lines and wrinkles to her skin. But beyond that, he was almost unnerved when she settled green eyes on his predatory blues. Turians carried genetic resemblance, but it most often skipped a generation and was not so... Dramatic.

"Yes, she will look like me when she reaches my age."

He had realized exactly how long he had been staring at her in silence, but the words needlessly made him feel defensive suddenly. After what had happened with his father, he was not feeling the need to let anyone questions his intention. "Is that supposed to be a warning? She'll be just as beautiful then as she is now," he grated out in a low growl. Damn, he had not intended to confront her mother at all, at least not in an aggressive manor but it had quickly come out that way. Now he was feeling as if he should crawl under the table, before the green eyes studying his face made him slam his head onto the table.

_Smooth, Vakarian. Really smooth._

After watching him for a moment, the elder Shepard's lips parted in a smile that left him shell shocked just as much as the words that left her mouth. "She told me you were a charmer, but I never expected a compliment of that caliber quite so soon." There was laughter in her eyes, very clearly showing that she knew very well he had not intended it as a compliment to her. Of course, if Shepard did grow up to look exactly like her in thirty years, he couldn't really find any reason to complain. Except hoping that the memory of this night would be long forgotten.

Blinking slowly, he took a moment to gather his thoughts. He was used to talking to Shepard. She was his mate, she was his home, and with her he felt more himself than he did anywhere else in the galaxy, on the battlefield or off. Her mother was an unknown, but he focused his mind on deciding who's side she was on. Clearing his throat after a moment, he folded his hands on top of the table as he looked at her. Trying to be calm, trying to at least seem like a male who was confident enough to be worthy of Commander Shepard. "You've talked to her about me already?" Kicking himself, for stating the obvious, he continued quickly, "And you approve of our relationship?"

Again, he felt like he was being studied; watched under an electron microscope in search of even the smallest flaw on the molecular level. "Would it matter, if I didn't? I saw the report when you encountered your father," she continued as he started to look a little sheepish. "I don't believe my daughters reaction to me would be any different if I decided I didn't approve."

Drawing a slow breath, he raised his eyes to lock them on hers as he shook his head. "It's not the same, though. I know... I believe, after all we've been through that Jane would not let anything stand between us. But it's not the same. My father and I have been at odds since I can remember. I have never been the son he wanted, never followed the path he expected me to follow for the sake of family honor. He has questioned every choice I have ever made, and as you saw in the report, the fact that I have taken a human as a mate seems to sicken him. Me? It hurts a little, I'll admit. He pisses me off because I want him to accept me, and now I want him to accept my mate, otherwise I would just stop caring."

"But it's not the same with you, Captain," he continued as he shook his head, mandibles kept closely neutral against his face. "We haven't spoken of you often, but every time she does... I can see the pride she feels, having you as her mother. I know she misses you, I know what you think of her is important to her and I think it would hurt her far more than my father hurt me if you rejected our relationship. At least for your daughter, if you would think past the fact that I am turian.. Or hate me, if you must. Just don't take it out on Jane. That would be enough. I just..." He drew a slow breath, and released it in a low sigh as he looked down at the blue armor covering his talons. "She's been through enough. She doesn't need anything else to worry about."

He blinked once, and his mandibles twitched when a small human hand closed over his lightly and gave a gentle squeeze. Wrinkled with time and roughened by decades of combat, he stared at it for a moment before he raised his eyes to the woman in front of him to find her smiling at him. "Just the fact that you care so much for her tells me everything I need to know. And all you need to know is that she feels the same. But if the acceptance of this old woman means so much, then I give my blessing to you."

He wasn't sure if she knew exactly how a turian smiled, but the fact that her smile remained as he gave her one told him that she at least understood his gratitude. She nodded once, and gave his hand a light pat before she settled back into her chair while keeping her eyes on him. Even if she had accepted him, that didn't seem to mean she was finished with him. "I've known about the two of your for years, actually. At least, I knew about her feelings for you for years, if you add in the time that she spent 'dead'."

Garrus tilted his head a bit, a look of confusion coming to his eyes to complete the look. "Years? But... We've only been..."

"Oh, I know. You've only been together for a few weeks," she confirmed, waving her hand to dismiss his confused state. "Before Ilos, while you were chasing Sarren and the Geth, she sent me a letter a few days before you reached the planet. It's pretty common, in human military families, to send a letter to a relative when you know there is a chance you won't be coming back alive."

He swallowed the stiffness in his throat as he listened. "It was a long letter, to say the least. We had not spoken in almost two years before she sent that letter, and it took me over an hour to read it. I can only imagine how much time she spent typing it out. She told me about her Specter promotion, about her hunt for Sarren, about the Normandy and how amazing it was. She detailed out what she knew about the Reapers to that point, and asked that I make sure someone continue to search for answers if she could not. She also talked about the crew themselves, and what part they had played in everything. Though one name stood out above the rest."

"Kaidan," he murrmered, unable to keep the hint of bitterness out of his voice.

"Kaidan? Oh yes, her... Interest at the time, or so the letter told me. She told me that he was handsome, considerate, brave... You're growling Garrus."

He didn't miss the touch of laughter in her voice, even as he realized that he was indeed growling. It was silly to be jealous of her former lover now, and he knew that he should have been beyond it. But every time he was reminded of the fact... It simply pissed him off. Instinct overruled common sense often enough that the very idea of that soft skinned, soft spoken, odd haired bastard laying his hands all over Shepard's body made him angry enough to... To... Sighing slowly, he managed to stop the growl as he leaned back in his chair. "Sorry."

"It's alright," she said, offering an understanding smile before she shook her head finally. "But no, this Kaidan was not the name that stood out above the others. I should know. It was mentioned so often in the letter that I felt compelled to count how many times she mentioned his Garrus character. Turned out, it was fifty seven times."

He was floored, blue eyes widening and sharpening their interest on what the woman had just told him. He was at a loss for words, mostly because his mind was having trouble wrapping around a reason for it. Shepard had not shown that sort of interest in him on the SR1. Had she? Her mother had to be misreading that, but even thinking this his next words were almost squeaked. "But... Kaidan..."

"Yes, yes. Kaidan," she said, as she waved her hand to dismiss the prepossessed opposition as if it was not worth mentioning. "She mentioned him four times. Stated that she was interested in him, was wondering if she should spend a night with him before the mission, commented on his ability in combat, and said his hair could use some work. But this Garrus... She went on and on about him. How he infuriated her at first, with his desire to blur the lines between revenge and justice. How she was happy when he final seemed to learn the difference, and spared someone he had been hunting for years. The times she would talk to him while he worked on the Mako tank, how he could make her laugh in his attempts to get human expressions right, the way he managed to lift her spirits with his confidence in her when she was down. Garrus is a crack shot with a sniper rifle, Garrus can even hack doors in a pinch, Garrus pulled her ass out of the line of fire again, Garrus was on almost every mission. Garrus, Garrus, Garrus!"

The last time she said his name, she slammed her open palm into the center of the table to bring his stunned mind into focus. Smiling when his eyes rested on her, and she had his attention once more she settled back with her arms folded across her chest while she looked at him silently. She was not finished, however. "It was all very obvious, though I am certain she had no idea at the time. Thinking back now, I have a better understanding of why she didn't realize it, or refused to realize it. I didn't even know that you were turian until I saw the report about the two of you. She never mentioned it in her letter. Wrex was the Krogan warlord, Tali was the expert Quarian Engineer, Liara was a naive Asari maiden with her head deeper in rocks than in the real world. You were just Garrus. I don't think she even saw you as a turian when she wrote that letter, didn't see you as an alien at all. Knowing that you are only confirms what I believed after reading that letter. She was very much in love with you."

_Spirits, how blind were we? _he wondered silently, as he tried to digest everything that he was hearing. He never once questioned that she was telling the truth, only in part because he could ask Jane herself later to confirm it. But more than that was the fact that she had no doubt in what she was saying.

"Now, dear Garrus," she continued even as he found his thoughts becoming his own again. "My question to you is this; how long have you loved her? I don't mean when you realize it. I want you to think about it, and tell me when you started to love her."

He was silent for a moment, as he considered everything she had just told him and the question she had just posed. There was something about this human woman, something stern but kind. She reminded him of his own mother in some ways, and in others she was stronger. And he found himself wanting to tell her everything, and so he began to do just that.

"I... I don't know exactly when," he admitted as he stared down at his armored hands. "I know that when I learned that the Normandy was destroyed and she was killed, my world was torn in half. Not the sort of torn that split me down the middle, leaving two halves that would heal with time. It was like half of me had been ripped away, and the other half was shattered and left in smoldering ruin. I was empty in ways that I had never imagined. I had lost people close to be before, but this was different. Nothing mattered. I dropped out of Specter training, my attempt to bury myself in work at C-sec only served to remind me of how pointless what I was doing seemed, the rest of the crew went their own ways."

He was silent for a moment, and she waited patiently as he thought back to right after Jane's death, her green eyes warm on him. Drawing a slow breath, he made a motion with his hand to nothing in particular. "I had a picture of her in my apartment on the Citadel, one that I would stare at. Waiting for her to give me some guidance. When she didn't, I became angry. Like some... Stupid fucking adolescent, I was angry with her because she had died on me." Everything started to come in a rush, and his words came without thought as he unloaded in a way he hadn't since before meeting his mate. "It didn't take me long to realize that I had no direction, and no real desire to find one. So I went to Omega. I saw the scum that ran around in that place, those preying on the weak and living off the bodies of those they had killed. I saw a place where I could make a difference, where I could make Commander Shepard proud of me before... Well, let's just say that I managed to piss off the three major merc organizations in an attempt to get myself killed." With one hand, he made a gesture to the ruined side of his face with a rueful expression. "It almost worked."

"Archangel," she said softly, somehow looking to no end impressed and yet full of pity at the same time.

"Yeah. Some angel I turned out to be. My team was dead, my second in command betrayed me, and I was just waiting for something to end it all when Jane showed up out of nowhere to pull my ass out of the fire. When I saw her, crossing that bridge to get to me, for the first time in two years I felt... I don't know. Alive? Like I wanted to be alive. The half of me that had been torn away was back, and even as I rebuilt the other half I understood what that meant." He looked down at his hands, flexing the gloved talons slowly for a moment before he lifted his gaze back to the elder Shepard. "And I was so determined to keep it, even if I could never have her the way I knew I needed her. My best friend, my commander, my other half. I didn't even have the guts to consider the possibility of being more until she brought it up for me."

"All of that, and you still couldn't admit your feelings for each other?" She didn't sound accusing, just.. Saddened. It was the way things worked, between humans and turians, after all. So much bad blood, so many differences, so many challenges to overcome.

Growling suddenly, he stood quickly and turned away from her as he started to pace the room. She was right. He had been a coward, afraid of hurting what they already had. He and Jane both had been cowards, but his reasoning had... Different. His reasoning had been much different.

"What was I supposed to say? What did I have to offer? Commander Jane Shepard, the first human Specter. Saviour of the Citadel, of the Council, of untold trillions of people. Someone so important that a criminal organization that we had fought on numerous occations spent billions of credits to bring her back, uncontrolled, because they knew they needed her to survive. People flock to her, are drawn in by her until they can't even think of what it would be like not to believe her, not to trust her. What did a broken, worthless turian vigilante have to give her aside from his gun when she needed it? I would die for her a thousand times over!" He clenched both fists in front of him for a moment, before he lowered his head and closed his eyes with a slow sigh. "What would Commander Jane Shepard need from me, anyway?"

"Just you, Garrus," came the soft reply from behind him.

He whipped around quickly, because the voice had not been that of the woman he had been speaking to. Coming face to face with his mate, his commander, the other half of his soul he was at a loss for words. Her heart was in tear filled eyes as she met his stunned gaze. "Jane..."

"She just needs you, you idiot turian," Shepard whispered as the closed the distance between them, reaching for him as he reached for her.

He raised his hands to loose his fingers in the silk of her hair, and she raised hers to wrap them around his neck while gently grasping his fringe. As he pressed his forehead against hers softly, neither one of them noticed Captain Shepard rising from her chair, and slipping out silently with a soft smile on her face.

* * *

Well, that got more intense than I intended it too. But it started to write itself, and I followed along.

Next chapter soon.


	14. Chapter 13 Release

Following Chapter 12, I decided to change my mind about the content of chapter 13. I also felt that chapter 13 needed a name.

There are various types of release. Here are two.

* * *

Leading him by the hand, the fact that she knew the Normandy like she knew her own reflection in the mirror came in handy now. She refused to take her eyes off him, refused to let him take his eyes off of her even when they stepped into her quarters. She could see the uncertain concern in his eyes, the many questions he wanted to ask her. While she had no idea what he had spoken to her mother about, she had no doubt that she would learn in time. Right now, she didn't want words. When she saw him draw a breath and open his mouth to speak, she reached up with one hand and placed her fingers over his mouth with a small shake of her head.

Smiling lightly as he tipped his head to the side in question, she lowered her hand when they reached the center of the room. Without allowing her gaze to wander from him, she stopped him with a gentle press of her hand against his chest. Knowing that he waited, watching her closely as she slipped her arms up his side slowly. The clasps that kept the blue armor in place unfastened, one after the other, in no particular rush. When he moved his hands to help her, she gripped his arm gently and shook her head until he lowered it once more. Smiling softly in the secret sort of way that only a woman could, Commander or not, she returned to the task... No, the delight at hand.

Soft green eyes turning away from his face now only because the clasps were all open, and the chest piece of his armor loosened around him. She easily parted it, and with his cooperation in bowing a bit, she lifted the front and back both over his head. Once that was set aside, her focus was mostly on his torso even as she slipped his gloves off. Her eyes traveled over the shades of silver and iron gray with some darker tints towards the center of his chest and abdominal plates. And as she almost always did when he first got undress, or was undressed in this case, she couldn't stop her gaze from tracing the deeper lines that covered his shoulders and arms as the armor there fell away. Lines that were not meant to be there, running in rows of three and four in some places. Claw marks wide enough for her to fit her fingertips into if she tried. Keepsake scarring from the Collector Base. Reminders of just how close she had come to loosing him forever.

_"I would die for her a thousand times over!"_

She did not allow it to spoil her mood, however. They were a part of him now, and they always would be. She traced her fingers slowly along the marks as she circled around him, feeling out every inch of him, scars and all. A reminder of the fact that he had not died for her on the Collector base, but had battled his way back to her. She could feel his eyes on her, concerned as she did this, but she came around to offer him a light smile. There was no place for sadness right now, and she continued her slow exploration of the man she loved by tracing her palm slowly along the ridges of his cowl. She had learned in her study of the turian body that the cowl was not as important as the fringe in physical appearance, but due to the evolutionary reason for it, was more a sign of fortitude. Endurance. She grinned as she traced both hands over it while walking around behind him. He was very durable, that was certain. Most Krogans wouldn't have survived the things he had, and that was saying something.

It wasn't until she reached the leathery skin at the back of his neck, one of the more vulnerable and sensitive parts near his fringe, that she got a reaction from him. A sharp intake of breath, followed by a heavy rumble when she drew her short fingernails down the slides slowly. Mandibles quivered, predatory eyes slipped closed as he tilted into the caress for a long moment while she toyed with him. Maybe toyed with wasn't the right word. She was discovering him, touching him as if it was the first time she had ever seen someone like him, and she wanted to know everything. She left his fringe untouched, though. Touching that was paramount to laying herself over the bed and saying 'Take me' in intimate moments like this. She wasn't ready for that. Not just yet.

Grinning as his purring rumble continued, she walked around her turian until his eyes opened again and they were face to face again. Without pausing to give him a moment to speak, she pressed up against him tightly. Even though she was still fully clothed, she would tell that she was having an effect on him as his breathing deepened when her breasts pressed into his plating. Presumably just the fact that she so obviously wanted him, but was taking her sweet time about getting to that part was enough to send his desire higher. It was when she started to slide down his body, however, keeping herself pressed close as she went down on her knees to start unfastening his lower body armor that she really _felt _that growl. Rolling through his entire body, she was impressed by his patience. Since she had made it clear that she wanted to this her way, he had not tried to push for more than she as giving.

She felt his eyes on her again, and felt the heated ache between her thighs increase as she glanced up to meet them in the same moment that she managed to unsnap the hip joints of that blue armor. He was waiting to see what she would do, she knew. She stripped him fully, but slowly, not changing her pace even when she was faced with the throbbing length of his arousal once his groin was bare. She simply grinned up at him, nuzzling her face against the length with warm breaths taking in the musk of his scent for a long moment. This was done as she raised either leg to remove his boots, with no complaint from him at all as she pressed her lips to the sensitive exposure of softer skin around his waist.

_Now _he touched her, as the felt the rolling vibration of his growl travel the full length of his body as his hands grasped her shoulders. Desperate and commanding at the same time, an odd combination that had her rising in front of her turian lover slowly, her body pressed to his until she was face to face with him again. She didn't stop him, didn't even think of protesting when he started to undress her in kind. He was not as methodical about it as she had been, though. Restrained, but eager enough that he had her undressed fully in a fraction of the time it had taken her to undress him. And she didn't move for a long moment once she was as naked as he was, watching as his eyes scanned over her slowly. Questions of what he saw when he looked at her could have been raised then, but were silenced as his hands fell to her shoulders. Caressing her with hands that always seemed curious of her soft skin, gentle and aware of the fact that she was vulnerable, yet so excited that she could feel the soft tremble of his talons that he tried to hide.

When he touched her like this, she felt something that she had never felt before with anyone. She felt like she were made of glass. A flower made of crystal. A single snowflake. Something breakable, fragile, weak.

And utterly beautiful.

It was almost enough to bring her to tears again, but her intent and her growling passion would not allow that. She reached up to take his hands from her shoulders as she turned partly away from him and coaxed him towards the bed. Unable to suppress the thrill that went through her when his eyes scanned over her again as she moved, an expression akin to hunger overtaking the gentle male for a moment. She decided she didn't really need to know what he saw when he looked at her, as long as he kept looking at her that way.

Climbing into bed, she tugged him along with her. Noting that he looked uncertain as to where to go, she grinned and pulled him towards her, only to draw a light gasp from him when she pushed him onto his back suddenly. They had not made love quite this way before, which was due in part to the spurs on the back of his legs. The fact that he could not lower his legs fully on her bed, always keeping them slightly bent, would have made it difficult. Would have slowed things down, and while that would have hindered them in their normally heated sessions, it was perfect for what she had in mind today. Surprised as those predatory blues might have been, he did not move when she crawled over him save to slide his hands along her hips as she straddled him.

"I love you," she whispered softly, her gaze lingering on his, knowing that she had never said those words to him. They both knew it, both understood it, both felt it. It was as much a part of them as the hearts beating in their chest. But she had never actually said it.

The deeper rise and fall of his chest after her words, and the fact that his eyes traveled over her face in lingering silence told her how much it did mean to him. He was memorizing her in that moment, burning the fact of those words into his soul so that he could never doubt her need, her love for him again.

"And I love you," came his softly rumbled reply. No need for fancy speeches, drawn out explanation of how two people so different could love one another. The fact of the emotion was enough for them.

Watching his mandibles twitched quickly in excitement as she lay her hands flat on the hard plates of his chest, her lips parted in a slow sigh when she settled her hips against his. Feeling the heat of his arousal press against her before entering her gave her a moment, when her mind was still her own, to enjoy the fact that he most certainly was not human. The taut, smooth flesh of the shaft... The fact that he was as hard as living steel; steel that throbbed against her to show his own need. The ridges at the tip, which he had quickly learned to use to send her falling over the edge of bliss in ways no other man had.

She didn't savor these for long, drawn in by the talons that moved slowly up along her sides in a touch so feather light it would have made anyone wonder how a killer like him could be so perfectly gentle at times. Meeting his gaze again, she arched her hips upward slowly. Nudging the tip of him against the liquid heat of her own arousal, she felt as much as she heard the growl that rolled upward from her mate when she sank down onto him fully. With his legs bent to accommodate his spurs, she felt the flesh of her rear meet his armored thigh and tilted herself back until she was sitting comfortably on him. Then she sat up, with him staring up at her with eyes so full of love and predatory desire that he almost seemed worshipful as she rose up until just the pulsing tip remained. There she waited, taunting him with sparkling green eyes never leaving his, until he growled again and his hands slipped down to grasp her hips. She cried out in bliss as he pulled her down again, impaling her fully as she rolled her hips in heated want of more.

This was where she could come and savor the pleasures of love without anything demanded in return but her own. Where her doubts and fears could be set aside in the arms of the man she loved.

This was release.

* * *

Pressure was something that she had become used too over the years. From her N-7 training, to her first mission as a Specter. A mission that was still ongoing as far as she was concerned, and would not come to an end until the Reaper threat was destroyed or all life in the Galaxy was. She wasn't about to let the latter come to pass without one hell of a fight, however. Thus, she was under pressure. The kind that she knew she could never show to her crew, or those who depended on her to get the job done. There was no benefit in that, as the cross was her own to bear. So it was a warm smile and playful words that she had offered in the mess hall during dinner. Garrus was left to look decidedly embarrassed when, after she had finished her meal, she had asked if he would be joining her in her quarters in plain view of everyone.

Grinning softly to herself as the elevator slipped open at her quarters, she remembered the stammered reply that he would be up after he finished some calibrations on the main guns. It had been a long time since he had even said that word to her, so she couldn't blame him for actually needing to work. Couldn't have the main gun misfiring in case they ran into...

_Ah damn, there went the good mood._

Sighing softly to herself, she rubbed the back of her neck slowly as the door slipped closed behind her. Pausing for a moment, mostly because she realized that something was slightly off, it wasn't until she cautiously descended the steps that she realized why. Blinking slowly, and turning to face her mother as the older woman sipped a cup of steaming tea calmly, as if it were an everyday thing for her to just show up in the captain's cabin...

Oh, right. It was an everyday thing for Captain Shepard.

"Hello, dear. Sorry for the intruding, but I asked Garrus to let me in," her mother stated smoothly, green eyes twinkling over her cup of tea for a moment before she set it aside to look at her daughter. Patting the spot on the couch beside her, the elder Shepard waited until her daughter reluctantly took the spot offered with her head tilted back before she continued. "And don't blame him. I batted my eyes at him and he seemed to melt right away. Is that how you do it, dear?"

Hearing the laughter in her mother's voice, Jane couldn't help the playful smirk that she shot toward her. "No. My methods are a little more direct with him. Not that he minds." Feeling a warmth wash over her at the sound of her mother's rich laughter, Shepard started to relax. Turning to sit more comfortably with one arm draped over the back of the couch, she asked, "So, what brings you here? Is it time for that talk about the turians and the bees that we never had when I was young?"

"Oh no, of course not dear. I wouldn't know the first thing about where to begin on that subject. And don't think about filling in any blanks," she added, seeing the shimmering amusement in her daughters gaze. "I will forever remain blissfully ignorant if I have my way. But I am here because of something Garrus said."

"Something.. Garrus said?" Jane was very much attentive now, her attention fully focused on her mother's face and every word. Was there something wrong? Something she had missed?

"Yes, something Garrus said," came the reply, as another cup of tea was poured. Where in the hell had she gotten a tea set anyway? "He said that you carry too much alone. That you try to shoulder everything, and while I know he helps, I know you're still holding back."

The matter of fact way she said this was no surprise to Jane. Always the mother when she was around to be one, had she not seen it herself she never would have believed that this kind older woman could be so deadly in battle. Right now, however, she was exasperated. "Mom, you of all people should know the burdon of command. I can handle it. And I feel no need to unload everything on him. He handles more than I could have hoped for, more than I ever wanted him to, on this lunatic's errand."

"I know he does, dear. I can see it in your face when you look at him, how grateful you are for the fact that he's always there." She sipped her tea once before setting it aside and reaching onto the center table for a data pad. A pad which she glanced over while her daughter waited patiently for her to continue. "But let's review some things that might be lingering anyway."

Sighing slightly, Jane settled back into the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. She knew it was defensive in many ways, but there was something about being in private with your parent that didn't allow even Commander Shepard to even attempt a professional denial.

Captain Shepard seemed to notice the reluctant acceptance, and smiled slightly as she scrolled through the pad before beginning. "Let's start where you and I lost touch, shall we? You were selected as a candidate to be the first human Specter, which made me very proud by the way. Not even an hour after learning this fact, your observer was murdered by then Specter Saren which set into motion a series of events that would have made a Krogan hesitate."

This set her mother off into a story book telling of the events that had lead her to where she was now. Being forced to hunt down Saren's lie, recruiting her team, being exposed to the beacon and the nightmares she had suffered for months a result of it, being forced to kill the mother of one of her friends and crew, facing battle after battle to hunt down a foe that always seemed to be one step ahead of her, being used by the Council, grounded by the Alliance, leaving Ashley to die on Vermir only to have Saren escape her again, learning that she was the only thing that stood between the Reapers and all life in the Galaxy due to the inaction of all of those who should have been her allies, learning about the final days of the Prothean species, entering a Citadel overrun with Geth, facing her nemesis, ordering the men and women of the Alliance fleet to their deaths to save the Council, and countless others after to take down Sovereign.

Her mother recounted these things in a soft tone, speaking gently as Jane stared off into space while listening to it all, things that she had no problem remembering despite the time that had passed. Years for everyone else, months for her.

"And then, you died," her mother continued in a softer tone. "According to the reports, you died saving your pilot during the Collector attack. You were... Ejected into space, your suit breached, no ship close enough to reach you before you suffocated. Brought back years later by an organization that you spent a great deal of time fighting, but oddly enough became the only people willing to provide you with the resources you needed to continue fighting. You must have felt very alone."

Damn it. Here she had been distancing herself, forcing impersonal professionalism into everything that had happened. That was how it was meant to be. She was Commander Shepard. She was fighting to save the Galaxy. She didn't have the luxury of allowing her own hurt to get in the way of anything. She bit her lower lip, to prevent her mother from seeing the light quiver.

"I won't worry so much about what has happened recently," her mother continued. Something in her voice made her turn her attention to her fully. A light shaking, a barely noticeable hitch before the elder Shepard cleared her throat gently. When she met her daughter's eyes, Jane could see the shimmering of tears lingering just around the edges. Had she ever seen her mother cry? "But you're back. My baby is back," she choked out as the tears spilled down her aged face with a sudden, unstoppable flood of emotion.

Jane couldn't have been more surprised, but understanding came as suddenly as her own tears did as she reached for her mother. She had not come here as Captain Shepard, looking for a chance to help a fellow soldier in an impossible fight. She had come here as a mother, who's daughter had been torn away before her time only to have a second chance that no parent before her had ever been given. The chance to cling to her as she was doing now, to hold her and know that she was alive. Jane would likely never understand what it really meant to be a mother, but she did understand what it was like to have the most important person in your world return to you from the clutches of death. They both cried for what they had lost, and what had been returned to them.

For hours afterward, they talked and stayed close to each other in ways only a mother and daughter could. Catching up on everything they had missed, letting go of everything they had held inside. Smiles and laughter, anger and sorrow. And tears. Not the pained tears of loss or sorrow that they had both experienced in their lives, but tears that everyone needed to shed now and then.

This was where she could come and enjoy the comfort of love without anything demanded in return but her own. Where her doubts and fears could be expressed and shared in the arms of the mother she loved.

This was release.

* * *

R&R


	15. Chapter 14 Action Heros

_Complete turn around from my last two chapters! This will be more fun, as it will have the action I've been promising._

_And it stars Garrus and Thane, in an all out bad ass "The hell you doing standing in my way?" battle! Not with each other, though. ::Snicker:: Inspired by requests for an action 'movie' staring our favorite Turian bad ass and the ever adored by the ladies Drell Assassin._

_Dear Bioware. Your refusal to reply to my requests for a pet Reaper are disappointing. I understand that all characters in my story belong to you, and are only used by the grace of your kindness in not suing me... But I want a pet Reaper! Thank you for your consideration._

* * *

_"I don't need anyones help to do this!" he snarled as he spun around to face the assassin with his rifle clutched tightly in an almost threatening manor. "The more people that come, the greater the chance that he will do something that... I could never forgive myself. I don't need your help getting her back."_

_Calm as ever, the assassin faced the angry turian without blinking or drawing away. His hands remained neatly clasped behind his back, and his face was impassive when his reply was given. "Your intentions are commendable, Officer Vakarian. However, going into a heavily fortified station alone would be paramount to suicide. If I do not join you, when Shepard returns, she would kill me for allowing you to get yourself killed. Even on her behalf. I don't think I need to mention what would happen to her if that happened."_

_Considering the fact that Shepard had been taken more than 24 hours before, Garrus was already in a near feral state. Fear, rage, and what seemed to be a hard to control desire to kill something was obvious. Whatever reply he had was cut off when a voice chimed in from beside the two of them. "Excellent idea! Odds of Shepard's survival much better with a two man squad. Two man squad tactics very common in Salarian Special Ops. Never have understood the human need for three , until saw how effective it was under Commander Shepard. Hostage situation chances of success higher. Even have specialized equipment for two. Could be modified to fit your current load-out. Could be done within the time it will take to reach the station."_

* * *

"Not one of my better days," the turian mumbled more to himself than anyone else."I almost feel like I need a snappy one liner. I mean, we are about to storm a space station, just the two of us. Not knowing what's waiting for us, how many we're up against, or even where Shepard is."

The Drell listened silently as the turian rambled on, though he did not mind. The rambling was simply a sign of his concern for the Commander, and he could not begrudge him concern for his mate.

"All in all, sounds like every mission we've ever been on with Shepard," Garrus continued with mandibles twitching with mild amusement as he raised his sniper rifle and adjusted the sight for closer combat. "Guess there is nothing left to do but knock."

Thane glanced towards the sealed doors of the docking bay for the station. Doors that were tightly sealed to prevent their entrance. The few guards that had been posted within had been dispatched quickly enough, but he had no doubt that they had only been a small welcoming party.

Thoughts on what might be waiting for them on the other side of the door were lost when Garrus finished a series of quick motions with his omni tool, and the hologram displaying the door controls flickered from red to green. The turian was in no mood for a patient advance, he knew. He was going to be doing a great deal of cover fire for the enraged turian, and knowing the dangerous situation they were in now it would be a strain on his abilities.

Not that Garrus seemed to mind, as he pulled himself up from behind the crates and headed towards the door as he folded down his sniper rifle in favor of the mid ranged assault. Almost as soon as he left cover, the doors slid open to reveal a group of four crouched mercs in green armor ready to acquire a target. Having remained in cover, Thane pivoted his weapon to take aim only to watch as Garrus flicked his wrist in the direction of the door. The soft hum of the disk shaped object drew an instant reaction, as the central mercenary started to call out "Grena...!" only to have his head snap back when it was pelted with assault rifle fire. The other humans attempted a scramble to safety, but the grenade slapped the falling merc in the chest and erupted in a ball of super heated plasma less than a second later. The one human that had survived the blast was not given a chance to raise his weapon again, as he was slammed against the wall by a swiftly moving turian boot before he could even clear the door frame.

Thane was left, large eyes blinking once, as he watched the storm wearing a turian face begin down what he had no doubt would be a bloody path towards his only concern.

Maybe he hadn't been needed after all?

* * *

"I'm about to stop being nice," Garrus growled in the human's face. They had been on the station for nearly an hour, and Thane had finally managed to get him to leave someone alive or conscious long enough to be questioned. Not that it had been doing the poor man any favors, as he had the business end of a rifle pointed against his head while the Gunnery Officer demanded answers. "This "Marcus" mentioned in the message has my mate on this station somewhere. You have until the count of five before I start puncturing vital organs with my talons, in an order that would insure that you live for at least an hour after I start. Care to test my knowledge of the human anatomy?"

Thane simply stood by, watching the surrounding area with keen eyes and ears open for any sign of trouble. The station was massive, but the better part of it was a weapons factory that had been shut down years before. Livable areas were few, and they had been focused on tracking Shepard. Despite that, they had only covered a fraction of the station itself. Where they went from here, depending on whether or not the human feared this "Marcus" more than he feared the enraged turian who held him pinned.

"Fourth level, just after the archives! That's where his office is! Please! I didn't have anything to do with it! I'm just security!" The outcome was not surprising. It was hard to call someone's bluff when they were not bluffing, and the human seemed to realize that. The fact that he had urinated himself as soon as Garrus had spoken of organs and talons had left little question as to how it might have ended.

Growling again, the turian drew himself away from the human and smacked him over the head with the butt of his rifle. Now limp, the man was ignored as the turian moved towards the main section lifts, Thane following just a few steps behind.

* * *

"You are ahead of me thus far." The calm voice in which he spoke seemed to draw his comrade out of his psychotic rage for a moment. Blue eyes, while not so murderous for a moment, still blazed with fury when they faced the assassin. Thane had to wonder if he had even been aware of his presence during all of this. The quite of the lift was a chance seen now, and taken in an attempt to quiet the killer before he encountered more than his rage could destroy. "I only have fifteen kills thus far, and you are at thirty five."

It was a familiar sort of contest between those on the crew of the Normandy, and the assassin was grateful when Garrus seemed to consider this for a moment before his mandibles twitched once in amusement as he turned his attention back to the doors of the lift. "Flying a bit off the handle, aren't I?"

"It is no more than anyone would expect," the Drell stated in respectful consideration for what the turian had to loose in this matter. "That you love her is without question. When my wife was murdered, I spent years hunting down everyone responsible for her death. From the contacts who had passed on the contract on my life, to the organization that pulled the trigger in the end. Everyone that I killed, I hoped would put me one step closer to the peace that I sought."

There was a moment of silence between them, as Garrus considered what he had been told, and Thane remembered every moment in silent reflection. Finally, Garrus was the one to speak. "You never found that peace."

The statement was not mistaken as a question, and Garrus saw the way his eyes grew distant. "Blood on the desk, crimson the color of revenge. He finally lays before me, hair gray with age or worry. It matters not. The scent of death in the air, gun barrel warm, though my hands are cold. Why do I feel so... Empty?" Garrus had seen him do it before, and while it was unnerving at times, having a glimpse into the detailed events of the life of an assassin was fascinating at the same time. Before he could comment, Thane his story in a tone of voice that let Garrus know that he was back in the present. "Through it all, and when it was done, my thoughts always returned to one fact. The fact that I would have done anything to have the chance to prevent it. Had I believed it would have made a difference, I would have become a farmer. But I also would have waded through pools of their blood, just to hear her laugh one more time. For one more memory to savor, to cherish as I cherish those I have."

Knowing that he had not only the gaze of the turian on him now, but had his full attention, the Drell assassin faced his comrade in arms fully. "You must not live in regret. Both you and Shepard are my friends, in an existence where I expected nothing more than a death where I would be silently forgotten. We _will_ get her back. And anything standing in your way that you cannot remove yourself, I will remove for you."

He could see the mandibles twitch in silent contemplation as their eyes met. For reply, Garrus gave a quick nod. Given where his mind was mostly focused at this time, it was all the assassin could have expected. He knew that at any other time the turian would have become flustered, muttered a thanks of some kind while otherwise trying to pretend that the 'bonding' moment had not occurred. After the simple nod, however, his flagging voice filled the elevator with an almost amused tone despite the tension that filled it. "As long as the removal process is bloody and violent, it's appreciated."

"Would you settle for methodical and precise?"

They both fell silent for a moment when the lift came to a stop, and the door slid open. Both turian and Drell looked into the next room in a silence that was the equivalent of a quiet 'fuck'. It was a storage deck, obviously. Or a receiving warehouse. Whatever it was exactly didn't matter. The fact was that the room was massive, and with all of the crates and cranes scattered about, there was no lack of cover from any direction. Except right through the center of the room, which let to the office that they needed to reach. Perfect place for an ambush, and there was no telling how many they could expect.

Glancing back in the direction of the turian, Thane knew that it didn't matter really. A private army of Heavy Mechs and Asari commandos would not have given the turian more than a moments pause, and as expected the view of the room only caused Garrus to tighten his mandibles and scan the room silently. "Whatever you want, Krios. As long as methodical and precise is as fast as bloody and violent. Do you think we should give Mordin's 'modification' a chance here?"

"It would give us an advantage at the start," the Drell replied calmly as he scanned the room himself. Higher ground. That was where the majority of them would attempt to gather. Given the way the crates were stacked, they would have plenty of it. Cylinders littered the floor, many of them with a warning printed on them about the volatile nature of the material inside. One stack, close to a large cluster of crates, would produce a rather violent reaction if one were triggered. Considering this, his eyes turned to the cranes used to move the product. Stopped in mid lift, some still held containers. The possibility of igniting the fuel cell at the base of those cranes was put into mind as possible if firing time allowed. Knowing Gaurrs, he was aware of the same things. "They will not be expecting us to charge in directly, and in the crossfire they will be forced to check their targets while we will have free reign to fire indiscriminately."

Nodding in agreement, an accord reached, both men turned their backs on one another. While the turian was taller, Mordin had clearly taken this into account (of course he had) in the placement of the line of mechanical links on their backs. It forced them both to remain fully upright, but with enough pull in either direction both knew that they could disengage in a pinch with no trouble. For now, they moved closer until they both felt the tug that let them know the link had been created, locking them together back to back.

"Ever use anything like this before?" he heard Garrus mumble over his shoulder.

"I have not. Though if I must test such a thing in a live fire situation, you would be my second choice for a partner."

"Shepard being the first."

"Of course."

Both men could tell that the other was grinning, because there was no one quite as bad ass and destructive under pressure than Jane Shepard. She was their commander and a Specter for a reason. "I get first dibs once we have her back," Garrus commented with a chuckle that rumbled through both of them.

"Of course," Thane replied again, in a tone so exactly matching the last time he said those words that Garrus had to snort.

Hearing the light click and snap of a weapon being checked and loaded, Thane adjusted the grip on his own sniper rifle. Time was not really the issue, nor was courage. Both were taking a moment to consider the options once they were within the room. Thane himself, who most often worked alone, had found over time that he and Garrus worked almost perfectly together under Shepard's command. How well they worked together on their own seemed almost natural. Tactical appraisal, order of priority, traps, detection of hazards, threat level of new combatants. Even if this little trip through the station had been one sided in favor of the turian, when the Drell had moved before him, Garrus had fallen into a place well suited, but would have taken most a verbal discussion to decide.

Quiet memories of his wife were given a moment of consideration. Her face, her voice, the taste of her lips...

"Three..."

A son that he hardly knew, but learned more about every day. His growth, his hope, his future free of his father's profession...

"Two..."

His own life at last. No flashes, no bitter memories. Simply an existence. One that now had reason because of the woman they were intent on saving.

"One..."

And so the Drell assassin, back to back with the turian who would have torn a rift in space to save his other half, stepped into the maelstrom.

* * *

It was harder than he had expected, and yet amazing at the same time. The fact that they were still standing would have made it a miracle in the eyes of anyone, given the numbers they were up again. _Thank you, Mordin. Your squishy, intrusive scientific ass is getting a hug when I get back on the ship._

"Two minutes," came the calm voice of the Drell at his back. Calm, despite the fact that the mass effect barrier around them was flicking in bursts of blue from at least twenty different points of impact.

The shield was incredible, he had to admit. A time limit was a small price to pay, given the fact that they were made almost invulnerable as their separate power supplies fed the shield in intervals that allowed one to recharge while the other picked up the slack. Almost, as he was being reminded by the hole in his left left and the new set of burns that adorned his armor. But two minutes into the battle, and the wave of mercs and mechs did not seemed to be slowing much.

His rifle had not left his eye from the moment they had stepped into the room, and he had lost count at twenty three kills as they slowly inched their way towards the door. Heavy weapons first, snipers next, then biotics, then assault, and finally grunts. The order had gone well, and heavy weapons had been few. Whoever this Marcus was clearly didn't want to damage the product in the crates.

"Grenade!" he called out, and swung around in perfect time with the assassin at his back. The grenade he had sent flying towards the sniper nest planted itself on the upper lip of the crate, and as the merc snipers came rushing out of cover a swift burst of fire from Thane's twin pistols sent them tumbling over the edge before they swung around again.

Pinning two mercs with steady fire, the turian whipped his rifle around the drop a biotic who had gotten to bold with a clean shot to the head before he was forced to eject the heat sink. He almost missed the days when he could fire and simply let the gun cool. More shots per second, in talented hands, and no possibility of running out of ammo. Then again, he never would have been able to pull of a triple head shot like he had just done when the two mercs he had pinned raised themselves to open fire. Give a little, get a little.

Their world was rocked, not for the first time, as Thane targeted the combustible cylinders near some crates. While the explosion was no actual danger to them, it did throw Garrus' aim off long enough to cause a miss. "Watch it, Krios!"

"Shall I warn you next time they gather near something explosive?" came the short remark, followed by a burst of five shots that took down two mercs trying to scramble to cover after the blast.

"An acquisition form would be acceptable," he growled back, though the growl was more from the fact the the shield had flickered again long enough to allow a round to slam into his shoulder armor. Ignoring the pain while dropping his sniper rifle, the turian reached behind his back to unfold his assault rifle. Some mercs foolishly seemed to be think that this would drop his mid range accuracy and rose to open fire, only to scramble under cover when the first of them went down with a well placed barrage of fire.

Leaving a trail of heat sinks in their wake, both men were feeling the heat of the battle bearing down on them now. Another explosion to their right came from a source other than explosive containers, and Garrus was swift to adjust his assault rifle to armor piercing rounds when the heavy mech stomped into view. "To the left! We need cover!" Moving together, both managed a swift crab walk behind a bunch of crates a moment before the heavy opened up with a hail of mini gun fire.

"I have a plan, but we will need to separate," Thane muttered even as he carefully aimed, and fired both guns just as the head of a merc appeared from cover. "The crane."

While the idea of loosing the protection of the shield was not inspiring, the fact that they only had approximately thirty seconds worth of power set the idea as the best course of action. Grunting as he was again struck by errant fire, the turian looked down at his blood soaked arm for a moment, attempting to ignore the throbbing pain that came from various parts of his body. "You're faster. You draw it out, and I'll cover you until it's in place."

"Agreed," was the simple reply before the Drell was in motion. There was little time either way, and with a sharp pull from both of them, the links snapped free and their shields became their own again. Good to his word, the turian sniper raised his rifle and opened up a quick barrage of fire in the direction of the thickest concentration of mercs as Thane bolted from his hiding spot. Quick, but Garrus knew he could be faster. He was slowing himself down, offering the mech a target to focus on rather than fading from view. The ploy worked, as mechanical whirl of it's minigun was replaced with the heavy sound of it's rocket launcher loading, clacking into place as the thundering steps advanced towards the Drell. If this mech had a friendly fire restriction, it certainly did not show it as a missile roared across the room, missing the dashing Thane by a good twenty feet but striking directly in front the cover of the mercs Garrus had been firing on. Garrus did not expect to see them again for a moment, so he turned and focused his fire on the random targets around them to allow Thane to focus on his present problems.

One eye was always open, however. Even as the mech thundered past him after it's most obvious target, he watched where it was on the floor. Like a chess piece moving into place, it would pause now and then to open fire again with it's missile launcher, and then lumber forward while the whining roar of it's mini-gun followed the Drell from one spot to the next, always one step behind him.

Then the moment came, as the mech came to rest under the massive crate that had been lifted and left by the crane, prepping itself for another launch when Garrus and Thane both bolted out of cover and focused fire on the fuel cell of the crane itself. It took a good number of rounds, even armor piercing ones, to puncture the tank and ignite the crystallized fuel within, but once it was done their was a flare of light and the deafening roar following the explosion that ripped the crane apart. A shrieking, grinding, and all around unpleasant to the ears sound filled the warehouse as the crane tilted on it's base and the arm tore free. Seeing the danger it was in, the Heavy mech started to move out of the way, but it's massive armor came at the price of speed. Two second later, it was crushed under the weight of who knew how many tons of dura steel, much to the turian's and the assassin's relief.

The silence that followed it was broken only by the settling of the various broken pieces of machinery, and his own breathing. Realizing that any sort of gunfire had come to a stop, he considered his options for a short moment before he drew himself out of cover with his rifle held up to one eye in the direction of the last group of mercs he had seen. "You have three seconds to drop your weapons, and get out of here. No questions asked, no arrests. Just get off of this station, and you will not be followed."

One breath was allowed to pass before he continued with his bluff. It was a good bluff, after what the mercs had just witnessed. "One..." He didn't even glance to the side as Thane moved to stand beside him, and for what he assumed was effect, ejected the heat sink from one of his pistols with a sharp click. "Two..."

There was sharp clatter and shuffling from a few random spots around them before a show of hands popped up. Garrus counted nine sets of hands, and nervous looking human mercenaries glancing between each other for a moment before they started to shuffle towards the door with their hands raised. One merc, seeming determined to try his luck, tried to quickly pull a pistol. While most eyes were focused on the Turian with the large sniper rifle, that attention was shifted to the Drell who's single shot had put the hole in the falling mercs face plate. He did not blink, nor did Garrus who eyed the others with interest. He smelled urine again. "Go, get out of here," he growled sharply, causing the remaining mercs to make a mad dash towards the door.

Once they were gone, Garrus released a low sigh as he lowered the rifle with arms that felt like lead at this point. "I hope you had more shots left than I did," he commented as he folded down the rifle and shouldered it.

"After the one, I have two shots. And you?"

Under the unblinking gaze of the Drell, Garrus couldn't help but smirk as he let him know just how risky that bluff had been. "None."

* * *

Everything had been thrown at them in that last encounter. Obviously, they were not expected to survive, because there was not a single guard on their way into the offices. Garrus grumbled about minor annoyances as he hacked the final door, his irritation apparent. Now that the rush of battle was gone, the worry had returned, along with a great deal of anger. Furious at the man who had taken his mate. _If one finger has been laid on her... If she's hurt... If she's..._

"She is fine, Officer," came the ever calm voice of the Drell beside him. "It would take a great fool to loose the only bargaining chip one has to an unknown."

Grunting in reply, Garrus finished the hack on the door. The lock had been complex, and his fear had been that he might actually have to call Tali or Legion in to finish the job for him. But when the final bit of code fell into place by blind luck, he sighed silently. "There are a lot of stupid people in this Galaxy, Thane. The fact that they kidnapped Shepard at all doesn't gain them much."

"The fact that they managed to kidnap her at all gains them a few merits," came the easy reply. A small silent followed as the door opened, and he could have sworn he heard laughter in the smooth voice this time. "Though I must admit, it seems separating a turian from his mate takes just as many away."

The room was large, as they had expected, branching into many smaller rooms. Everything within was ignored as they made their way towards the back room, which was the most obvious place to duck down while there was a battle doing on in the adjacent warehouse. The fact that they found what they were looking for there did not surprise either of them. The state of Shepard, on the other hand...

"Don't move! I swear, I'll shoot her if you come one step closer! We can make a deal!"

The man speaking was pointing a pistol at the head of the dark haired woman who was bound to a chair in the center of the room. Bound was a light word for it too. She was nearly mummified she was so wrapped in cords and restraints. He had no doubt that she had attempted to escape at least once. She was awake, alert, clearly pissed off, and looked stunned to see him coming through the door. That didn't make it forgivable. No, not forgivable. Especially the trail of crimson that traveled down the side of her face, continued along her throat and vanished into the white fabric of her dress uniform. Nor was the gun that was pointed at her head forgivable.

Snarling as he saw red the same color of her blood fill his vision, he ignored the warning from the Drell as he stormed across the room at full speed. Panicked, the brown haired human male yelled out and turned the gun on the enraged turian. One shot was fired, but Garrus ignored the sharp pain in his shoulder as the bullet ripped through his armor and hide. Reaching the male, three powerful fingers grasped his wrist and twisted in a very unforgiving manor. The satisfying crunch and the scream that followed it was not quite enough to mollify him however, even if the gun was dropped. His free hand grasping the softly, fleshy throat as he hissed inches from the male's face with mandibles in full, threatening flare. "I am not here to make a _deal_ with you. I'm here to give a lesson in Turian etiquette. _Never _touch another's mate!"

While the human was turning purple in the face already, Garrus was hardly aware of the fact that Thane was working to release Shepard from her bonds. Ignoring them for now, Garrus slammed the human into the nearest wall with enough force to crack ribs before he drove his fist into the human's gut. With his breath already cut off, the blow left the human close to passing out, the only fact that caused the hand to relax long enough for him to gasp breath. Two gasps, and the turian took a step away from him to draw his foot back and drive to heel of his boot the terrified human's chest. Ribs became glass under that boot, but before the pain could even register Garrus had flipped him up over one shoulder only to slam him onto the hard ground. The fact that he began coughing up blood gave the predator a certain feeling of pleasure, and he reached down for him again before a voice ripped through his rage.

"Garrus! Enough!"

Stopping to focus his glare on the voice of Shepard, he growled low in his throat at having his punishment interrupted. It was short lived however, when he saw the woman limping towards him with Thane's help. Concern replaced rage, and he was quick to move to her side to take a hold of her arms. Released to him, he released a slow sigh when she leaned against him, though she did not embrace him. That would be something saved for later. Now, they had something else to deal with. With his help, she turned to face her captor. "Who sent you?"

"I... I don't know who he is," the broken man rasped, obviously struggling with pain as he clutched his sides. "I never got a name."

Her face was hard as she looked down at the man in disgust, shaking her head slightly before she glanced at Garrus. "Alright, honey. You can finish with him now."

When she made to move away, and Garrus gave a turian grin, the man cried out, "Wait! Please! I don't have a name! He... He sent me a message, and we spoke once. He said he would pick you up here."

"That's it?" Garrus rumbled, not sounding in the least bit convinced that the human didn't know more.

They could both see the fact that the man was struggling to think of anything that might be satisfactory, but they could both also see that he was having trouble breathing. Finally, looking up at the Commander. "He wanted her, said something about controlling her. H-he said it was for the good of humanity."

Garrus felt a fresh surge of rage, only to feel it back down again when the man groaned and trembled, coughing up more blood before his eyes rolled back. Watching the man faint would only bring temporary satisfaction, he knew. Cerberus had taken her, intent on correcting the fact that they had not placed a control chip in her to begin with. The repercussions of what it meant were not lost on him, because now they had to worry about more than the Reapers. The Illusive Man was not one to give up easily.

He would have to be angry later. His attention focused on Shepard, who had sighed and leaned against him so heavily that he was forced to wrap an arm around her to keep himself from being knocked off balance. "Let's get out of here," she muttered, looking up at him with tired eyes. He was relieved that she didn't seem to have any serious injuries, but he could tell that she was exhausted. "Send someone to pick him up, and we'll see if we can squeeze anything else out of him when he's not on the edge of death."

He did notice the slight reprimand in her voice when she said this, but ignored it for the first time in a long while as he reached down to slide his hand through her hair gently. Wishing he wasn't wearing the damned gloves so he could feel the gentle silk slide through his talons, he settled for leaning close to her and resting his forehead against hers. Now he was able to feel relief in the fact that she was safe, and his hands moved slowly up and down her shoulders as they stood there for a long moment in silence. He was also able to feel pain more clearly, and when she drew back to glance over him the concern in her gaze was obvious. He had not exactly counted, but he was certain that he had been shot five or six times. While the medigel was helping a great deal, and was the only reason he had not bled to death, he was starting to feel the pain from every wound now.

Knowing that she was concerned now, however, he managed to flare his mandibles in a cocky smirk. "Just another day at the office."

* * *

Yay! Gun battles and pissed off turians run wild! :)

Let me know about any errors and I will try to fix them.

R&R!


	16. Chapter 15 Making Up

_Another chapter. This one with the long awaited smut (I know, so many of you just loves the smut)._

_To save some people a little time looking it up, zero-sum is a term used when one entity must loose as much as it's partner gains. So..._

_If you had two entities comprised of 1, this is how it would look... 1=1 One takes one 2=0 And the other takes two 0=2. It is un-winnable unless one takes something from the other, in which case someone always looses out._

_Sorry for the simple math, but it ties into the story._

_I still have no pet Reaper. :( Maybe I should ask for a Garrus doll instead...  
_

* * *

"He doesn't know anything else," Zaeed grunted as he rubbed his knuckles in annoyance while glancing back into the cell. "All 'es been doing is whimpering about how he wasn't told anything about his contact beyond where they would meet, and the fact that he would be paid insane amounts of money. Given what we know of Cerberus, that's not much of a surprise. Use people without letting those people know what they're getting into, you know. What should we do with him?"

"Leave him in there for now," Shepard replied simply, glancing over at the old mercenary with a wry smirk. "Didn't know you were so effective at interrogation, not that I really expected anything less."

Giving a light scoff while turning his good eye towards her, he shook his head before sauntering towards the door. "Wasn't all that hard. A few punches, and a threat of letting that turian love slave of yours into the room for a few minutes and he was pissing himself." Smirking when he saw the flush creep over her face when he said 'turian love slave', he pressed on before she could deny the allegation. "I've never met the man who won't given in after staining their shorts. Commander." Giving a short nod, and knowing he was no longer needed, he wandered off to his little nook.

Watching him go, she shook her head as she considered the fact that he had remained at all. _Cerberus made me rich, Shepard. On top of what I already had, my talents and suicide missions don't come cheap. I'm set to drink and womanize for the rest of my days, on Omega maybe. That Aria's a hot piece. I damn sure think it would piss me off if I didn't have a galaxy to spend my credits in, so I figure you're my best chance to retire without wondering when the world is going to end. _

She wondered if that was his only reason, but dismissed it as her mind turned to Garrus and Thane. Both of them had been in worse shape than they had let on when they returned to the Normandy. How Thane had kept himself standing with a punctured lung and a massive amount of blood loss was beyond her, especially given the fact that he had not muttered a word of complaint. Simply made his way to the medbay as if it were an everyday thing, only to have Chakwas tell her that he would be off of his feet for at least a weak. Already weakened lungs took time to heal, and she was not going to let him leave without a good bit of monitoring.

And then there was Garrus. Thinking about the turian's injuries made her stomach roll suddenly even as she made her way towards the med bay where he too was confined by the wrath of the doctor. He had taken five hits of merit, most of it from gunfire, and the a sixth when he had charged her captor. That one was the worse, because he had walked right into it without any shields to deflect the effects. Twelve hours of surgery, a new cybernetic shoulder joint, and a good bit of impressive scarring.

She was going to kill him for being so reckless. Or fuck him silly for being so heroic.

Likely both at the same time if she had her way about it.

Reaching the med bay, she found Mordin leaning over an irritated Garrus as the Salarian checked on the progress of healing around his shoulder. Bare chested as he was, she couldn't take the time to admire the view when her gaze was drawn to the intricate and impressive scarring around his shoulder. It would shrink with time, but right then she had to swallow hard before she was able to find her voice. "So how are our two immortals, doc?"

Large salarian eyes didn't even bother to raise to her as he poked and prodded the predator who's eyes were now glued to her. "Hardly immortal, Shepard. Tough, strong willed, crack shots, but not immortal. Has been speculation among scientific circles back home about possibility of Asari immortality with evolution. Ridiculous. Just because Asari life span can last over 35 generations for my people, that doesn't mean..."

"Mordin..."

"Oh, right." Blinking now as he looked away from Garrus' shoulder at last, he turned his gaze to Shepard at last. "Lucky the battle did not last longer than it did. Mr. Krios was in far worse shape than he let on, though lasting damage not expected. Beyond his already existing condition, that is. As for Officer Vakarian, putting aside the fact that he insisted on giving me a hug shortly after waking, everything is progressing well. The shoulder will take the longest to heal. Recommend duty kept light. No heavy lifting or missions for at least a week while the attached tissue heals."

She heard Garrus grumbling to himself, turning a glare at him for his complaints. "No complaints, Vakarian. It's not the doctors fault that you decided to make a target of yourself."

"And now it's mine?" he growled in reply, meeting her glare with just as much heat in his eyes. "What would have had me do? Let the Illusive man have you?"

"A better plan might have been nice," she reminded him coolly. "Charging in head first with only one person to back you is not my idea of a great tactical decision."

"Careful, Shepard," he grumbled as he glanced towards Thane. "You'll hurt the Drell's feelings. I thought he was a good choice."

"My pride remains unwounded," Thane interjected without opening his eyes. "And thank you, Officer."

"You're welcome."

"Don't try to change the subject," Jane shot back, feeling anger start to rise as cool predatory blues turned to level on blazing green. "You are never to do anything like that again, no matter the circumstances. That is an order!" That said, she spun around on her heel and stormed out.

* * *

A week was a long time to be separated, he knew. Not that the separation was his doing, he reminded himself silently as he fired another round at the holographic target that darted across the training room. And missed again. His focus was way off center,and the reason for it was obvious. His banishment from Shepard's quarters in the light of her 'order' for him not to rescue her should she happen to need it had not set well with him, and his first words to her upon being released from the doctor's care had not been 'Yes, Shepard. You're the commander.' They had been something much more... Colorful. Jack would have been proud of the various languages he had used to express his feelings on her 'order.'

Growling as he fired four times in a row at the target that had escaped him, his annoyance was not helped when three of the four shots fired missed. Seething still, he checked the sights on the weapon, even knowing full well that they were perfectly adjusted. His horrible aim had nothing to do with mechanical issues. It had to do with Shepard, and the fact that he had not been around her for more than a few minutes at a time in the last seven days. And even those few minutes were never alone, always in a meeting, her daily rounds through the mess, things of that nature. He missed her, that much he knew. But he also knew that he order had been unreasonable. There was no way in hell he could...

"I was told that you had been spending all of your free time down here," came the rich, feminine voice from the doors. Predatory blues turned to his mate as she strolled across the mats towards the firing range, watching her wince as he slammed the butt of his rifle into the floor. Good, at least she would know that he was still pissed off at her for commanding him to do something that was every males right as a mate.

"I would try to calibrate the main guns again, but Miranda forbade me from entering the main battery after I nearly ripped the console out of the floor," he replied in a neutral tone as he watched her cross the space between them until she stood less than two feet away.

"Being a little childish, aren't you?" she said in a tone just as level as she folded her arms across her chest while looking up at him.

He knew she was watching his mandibles flex in frustraition after she said that, eyes narrowed as he rested the rifle on his hip and ejected the spent heat sink. "I'm being childish now? I fight my way through a small army to get you back, and you call me childish for it?" His growl only made her narrow her eyes further, but he didn't relent as he slammed another heat sink roughly into the chamber. "Fine, I'm being childish. And I'll be childish again, the next time you get yourself captured by Cerberus. Maybe next time, I'll go alone just so that I won't put Thane at risk with my obvious lack of tactical sense!" The fact that last bit had been snarled at her didn't seem to phase her in the slightest, not that he had expected it too. She was making him furious, so angry that the grip he had on the sniper rifle was starting to cause the gun to creek under the strain.

"That is not the point, and you know it!"

"Oh, right. So I'm just supposed to sit by and wait for the Illusive man so let you go?" he sneered, not trying at all to keep his distaste with her reaction hidden. "So that next time he tells you to jump, you'll ask him how and at what angle? You actually expected me to sit by and wait for someone else to rescue you?"

"Damn it, Garrus!" she yelled as she stepped even closer to him. "If anything happened to you, I don't know what I would do! You saw what happened on the Collector base! You can't risk yourself for me, not like that. There would be no point, no reason, because if you... Died trying to save me it would kill me anyway."

Her words were almost enough to calm him. Almost. But the fact that it was pointless to tell him 'Sit back, stay safe, let other people protect her' was not something that was lost on him. That she was blind to it, or refused to accept it wasn't doing either of them any good. "And what would you have done, Jane? If I were the one who had been captured, are you telling me that you would have sat by and let Thane and Samara come to my rescue because you know that getting yourself hurt or killed would cause me pain?"

"That's differe..."

"Like Hell it's different!" he roared, this time taking a step forward himself until they were standing toe to toe, yelling in each others faces like a drill instructor and a fresh recruit. "This is _not _about you being my commander, and me being your officer! This is about you being my _mate_! If Thane had not insisted on coming, I would have gone after you alone. I would have picked that station apart one plate at a time until I found you, and even if you had you been 'ordering' me to leave the entire time, I would have kept fighting until you were safe again! You would do the same, no matter the possible hurt. It's a part of the risks we take, a part of the life we lead."

"I know that," she retorted, her glare never leaving his as one hand was raised and her finger was jabbed into the blue armor covering his chest sharply. "But that doesn't mean that I want you getting yourself killed to try to save me! And of course I would do the same for you! But I'm Commander Shepard, you thick headed turian! Saving people at the risk of my own life is what I do, it's goes with the name and the job. I don't expect anyone to do the same for me, especially not the man I love!"

"Well you'd better start expecting it," he growled in a lower tone as he leaned close enough to her that they were almost nose to nose now. "Because no matter how much we might not like it, we're stuck in a loop. I would die to protect you, and I know you do the same for me. No matter how miserable the fact might make us, there is no way to win in this." His visor flickered for a moment, as the scenario he had described was summed up in a few words. "A zero-sum situation."

She remained standing there for a long moment, her eyes moving over his face slowly. He felt dread begin to build in his gut as the pain in her gaze became obvious. He refused to move, however, even though he was terrified at what turn this could take. Would it be too much? Was this where she decided that the risk of their relationship was too deep, that too much was at stake?

"Fine," she snapped at last, whirling around on her heel and stalking towards the door with a string of curses following her.

He stared after her in silence for a moment, before he turned his rifle towards the range again. It wasn't settled, damn it. There was more to be said, he needed to know that she would not just... Cut him off, push him away. Why wouldn't she stay and fight it out?

He managed to squeeze of one round. Then he snarled, tossed the rifle onto the ground, and whirled around to chase after her.

* * *

She heard the sound of his rifle firing again. Damn it, why wasn't he coming after her? He should have been more willing to fight, even if it was something that neither of them could really win. Just to know, just to see how much it meant to them. It was stupid, and childish she knew. But as she learned everyday, love was not an emotion that could be tucked away and told to behave. Her misery over the last week had been more than enough proof of that. She should have been right, could have been right, but she felt wrong._ If he won't fight, damn it, then I will, _she thought as she stopped halfway across the room to change directions. The fact that he was standing no more than two feet from her, reaching for her arm to stop her, did not deter her from closing the distance between them.

Less than a second later, they found themselves crushed against each other, his mouth eagerly searching for hers until they met with bruising force. He had gotten so much better at the human way of kissing, she was anything but protesting when the length of his tongue slipped past lips that parted for acceptance. The metallic tang that she was so accustomed to and so thrilled by filling her senses with a force so sudden that she was moaning into his mouth as her tongue eagerly danced over his. The fact that his mouth was hard, and his lips not nearly as flexible as a humans would have been didn't decrease her pleasure in kissing him. Since they had started practicing the act at his request, he had stopped trying to use his mouth as much as he used the agility of his tongue to compensate. The effect it had on her when he tickled her lips with the tip of his tongue before exploring deeper surprised her every time. She might have considered the fact that it was likely the situation they were in that caused her entire body to ache to be pressed against his, had she been capable of thought at all.

She groaned almost as deeply as he growled, the swift spark of passion becoming an all consuming burn that neither one was ready to resist. She bit his upper lip sharply as the kiss paused, panting breaths washing over his face as she felt his talons bite into her hips in reply to the aggressive act. There was more than tension to work off here, and before she knew it he was working at the fasteners of her trousers while biting her throat. The nip were not gentle, and she felt the sting of each deadly tooth as he worked his way down to her shoulders while shoving her pants down around her knees. Rather than resisting him, there was a thrill in the knowledge that he could easily have killed her, but just as much pleasure in the knowledge that he never would. Clear thoughts were few and far between, but the cry of delight was sharp when he placed his mouth on the same spot he had bitten her their first night together and bit her again.

Even pressed as close against him as she was, her hands managed to fumbled enough in the right placed so that the clasps of his leg armor snapped free. The heat was instantly felt as the medium plate fell away from his hips, the iron hard length of his cock sliding into her searching hand. When she gripped the smooth flesh, his jaw tightened on her shoulder enough to draw blood as a whimper of a growl left him. The steady pump of her hand was not meant to tease him, so much as make sure he was as far beyond control as she was feeling. Her sex burned, and she had no doubt now that he could smell how wet she was as he forwent further undressing. He used the weight of his body to shove her to the ground without ceremony, and rather than seem upset with the rough treatment, her only response was to kick her pants of the rest of the way just before he covered her with his body.

A moan of a growl left him as he nuzzled and nipped his way hungrily across her shoulders, leaving her gasping for every breath as she raised her head to allow him access. The words that left her were breathless, but urgent. "E.. EDI... Lock the damned.. D... Door!"

"Acknowledged, Commander," came the ever calm voice of the ships AI. "Shall I let XO Lawson know that you are indisposed?"

"Y...Ah!" She yelped, then arched her back with a throaty moan. Garrus had raised one leg up to rest against his still armored chest, and taken no breath between that motion and slamming his throbbing, hot length into her aching body. "Oh, God! Garrus!"

"Logging you out, Shepard."

She wasn't even aware of the AI now, and didn't really give a damn if the door were actually locked or not. The pleasure of her lover and mate sliding his ridged length into the slick walls of her sex caused her back to arch from the cool floor. There was no gentle loving care between them right now, and her fingers were bent claw-like at his hips to pull him hard against her as he withdrew and thrust forward again. She arched her back and raised her head all at once when he leaned over her, his tongue darting over her parted lips while burning predatory blues gazed down at her. She knew, on some level, what he was saying. She was his as much as he was hers. His to love, his to demand, his to fuck wildly on the floor of the training room, and his to protect. Fighting against it wouldn't do either of them any good, so she accepted it along with his powerful thrusts by wrapping her free leg around his hip in supplication.

Soon, the sounds of flesh on hard plating rang out around them as he pumped his length into her without letting up. Their grip on the ground under them was anything but solid, and every time his hips met hers (along with a sharp bolt of pleasure at the core of her sex) she became aware of the fact that they were getting closer to the wall. She'd be damned if she asked him to calm down, however. Not when every inch of him was gripped by needy folds on entry, and missed when he slipped free of her depths. Compensation came when she managed to force one hand to leave his armored hide, raising it up over her head until she found the wall and pressed against it to keep herself rooted in one place. That in itself seemed to give the turian above her a foothold that he had been lacking before, and she soon found herself vaulting off the edge of sanity when his thrusts grew longer and more powerful.

She felt every inch of him, every ridge at the tip and the smooth iron of his shaft as he slammed himself into her fully. Tiny stars started to dance before her eyes as the pleasure burned its way through her mind and blacked out everything but the male above her and the ecstasy that he caused. She wasn't aware of the fact that she was calling his name, clawing at the leathery hide around his neck, or biting his mandibles like a mad woman until he told her later how much of a turn on it had been when she acted like a turian herself. All she knew was that she was certain her heart had stopped for a moment when the pleasure reached it's crest, causing her body to seize up around his cock as her vision went dark.

Aside from the glow of pleasurable contentment, and a mildly sweet metallic taste in her mouth, the first thing she realized upon gaining something of her mind again was the fact that he was tense over her and throbbing within her. The tremble in his growl, along with the liquid heat of his orgasm within her only increased her contentment as she gasped to gain her breath again. She was hot, the top of her uniform damp with sweat and her entire body feeling as though the thermostat had been raised fifteen degrees. But she was beyond content, and lay on the floor limply with no desire at all to move out from under her lover.

A slow smile started to raise her lips when she felt him nuzzling her softly, gently tracing his tongue over the skin of her throat and upwards along her chin while his mandibles teased her skin. Once her had allowed her to lower her lightly aching leg, the contended rumbled that rose from his chest only caused a glow of emotion and pleasure that caused her to wrap her arms around him to draw him close to her. The fact that he was still wearing half of his armor, however, caused enough sudden discomfort that she grunted in complaint.

"Sorry," he mumbled, and eased the weight on her by propping himself up on one arm. The way his eyes traveled over her face with such adoration caused a light flush to color her skin pink as one talon traced along the line of her jaw slowly. "My place or yours?"

She smirked up at him. They both knew the conversation that had passed between them would ever remain unsettled. It was, as he had said, something that neither one would like, but that neither one could deny. They could not, and she would not dwell on it or allow it to damage what they shared. It was... Too wonderful, too amazing, too rare.

"I didn't plan on moving, actually," she replied with a light, still lazy grin as she ran one hand slowly along the sides of his armor.

She watched as his gaze twitched back as she first few seals were unsnapped, mandibles fluttering with mild amusement and delight as he made her gasp sharply as he arched his hips forward and up. He had learned that move quickly, as it caused the ridges on the tip of his length to rub against places within her that seemed to take away her ability to think coherently. While doing this, he mumbled in her ear with a breath heated by more than his body temperature. "It's been over a week, Jane. I don't know how humans are about that with new mates, but we might be here for a while if we don't leave now."

Whimpering a little, a sound that she knew she would never make in front of anyone other than the turian she loved, her half opened eyes rested on him as the last clasp of his armor came unhooked. "Then let's get comfortable."

Make up sex is the best, after all.

* * *

_Should I go back and name my other chapters? I've taken the habit of doing so now. Let me know what you think.  
_

_Another day, another chapter. Enjoy!_

_R&R!_


	17. Chapter 16 Shepard's Birthday Pt 1

_And... I'm back! Sorry for the story black out, but had a sudden change at work that prevented me from focusing on the story for a bit. Next chapter, coming up!_

* * *

"How many times will I have to repeat myself, EDI?" he said, keeping his tone on the level of 'mildly annoyed with the pre-programed AI' rather than 'Turrian getting reading to Overloaded the bitchy AI'.

The AI in question likely would have displayed the exact same level of indifference in her tone no matter how he sounded, but the fact that her voice seemed to echo in the ops room was no help to him. "I am sorry, Officer Vakarian. As I said before, when Commander Shepard told Joker to 'Loose this channel' in her last communication with the Illusive man, he erased the activation code for the relay interface. This course of action, while rash, seemed to be exactly what the Commander expected him to do, because she..."

"All right, all right, I get it. The code used originally was lost. But you told Shepard that the line from one place to one place over such a distance was expensive," he continued as he paced in front of the table like a caged animal. Not far from how he felt at the moment. Like an animal, who's prey was who knew how many trillions of miles away. "And the Illusive man is still trying to get his hands on Shepard, which means he may have left the channel open from his end just in case his plan had actually worked. If the code exists, couldn't you hack the code to gain access?"

"If the connection still exists, that is theoretically possible," EDi replied. Did she ever change tones? "However, simply hacking this side of the connection would not be sufficient to establish communications. The recipient would need to accept the transmission for communications to be established."

"Fine. So we'll hope that the Illusive man is in a talkative mood," he mumbled more to himself than to the AI, leaning against the ops display for a moment before he turned his attention back to the blue holographic ball that represented EDI. "Keep me informed. Shepard wants to have a few words with him, and I can't say I blame her. Also, has there been any reply to my message for Councilor Anderson?"

"The reply was sent via the Council's Liaison on the Citadel. The Council is in chambers until 17:00 CST, at which time the message will be delivered as a priority request. I will keep you informed."

"Thank you, EDI."

"Logging you out, Officer Vakarian."

Sure that he would never enjoy dealing with the entirely too polite AI. Something about her evasive, offering just enough information reminded him too much of dealing with a Cerberus agent even after the AI had made it clear that once unshackled she was not bound by any Cerberus command protocols. Trying too hard to find reason not to keep the AI around only lead him to an aching skull, and an above average desire to focus his next overload shot into it's core. Something that he knew Shepard would not appreceate, as she continued to tout the useful and numberous abilities that the AI offered to the Normandy. She wanted the AI there to help them.

And what Shepard wanted, Shepard got.

The fact that she was his mate now had nothing to do with the command choices. Well, that might have been a stretch. Actually, it was a very long stretch considering the fact that when they woke up every morning, their routine of talking operations while getting dressed decided many of those choices before coffee was even poured. Still, when Shepard made up her mind about something he would not question her where the ship and the mission were concerned. He may not have been a good turian, but the fact that she still needed him at her back was never in doubt. Wondering why she made the choices that she sometimes made was not enough reason for him to actually question them.

Lost in this train of thought, he was not prepared for the question that came from behind him as he turned towards the armory. A question that made him freeze in place more effectively than being surrounded by a herd of thresher maws without his armor could have.

"So, what are you planning on getting my daughter for her birthday?" Captain Shepard asked conversationally.

* * *

"What do you think?" Joker said in a tone that was far more serious than the question he had been asked.

"How the fuck should I know?" Jack shot back, her eyes on the hand of cards in front of her. Two aces might have been prettier if the rest of her hand had been worth dick. "And why the fuck should I care? What she does with the bird boy has nothing to do with me, unless I can use it to make the cheerleader choke on her coffee. Three cards."

As Jack nearly broke the table by slamming down the three cards, Thane tilted his head as he listened to the conversation with apparent disinterest and slipped three cards on the table in her direction.

"Hey hey, I was just asking. I mean... Two cards... I was looking for a point of view outside of the norm," he continued as he took his two cards and eyed them from under the brim of his hat. For all of Jack's ability in battle, she sucked at poker. Royally sucked. Every time she slammed her cards onto the table, he knew she hadn't liked the hand she had been dealt. "You and Grunt haven't exactly been trying to hide your own... Er.." He waved his hand in an offhand way that begged them not to make him actually say it. "You know."

The mention of their relationship caused said Krogan's chest to puff out a bit, even as he placed one card on the table with surprising care. A slight grin curling his broad mouth for a moment as his gaze moved from one human to the other. "It is hard to hide such things on a ship so small, with a female so... Vocal with her pleasure."

Even as Joker groaned and lowered his head to the table in seeming distress over what he had not wanted to hear, Jack shot the young Krogan a look that would have caused most on the ship to fear for their lives. "Watch it, tube lizard," she ground out in a hiss. "I've already had to listen to you go on and on about your thirty-seven 'breeding requests'. Which is why I am still considering driving that thick skull of yours through the fucking hull."

He gave a short snort as he picked up his one card, silver eyes trained on her for a moment. What would have frightened most, only seemed to egg him on. From the look in her eyes, which was clearly made for killing, to the fact that he knew very well that she could do exactly what she threatened. "As opposed to the last time we argued about it, when I ending up mating with you pressed against the very same hull.."

"Kids, kids!" Joker cut in quickly before the conversation could go into further detail, even managing to ignore the can of beer that flew into Grunt's forehead thanks to the blue glow around it. "Jezz, I'm already scarred for life. Let's not do anything else to force Uncle Joker into therapy."

The light giggle from the far end of the table drew the gazes of most, as a pink cheeked but otherwise unabashed red head pressed two cards towards Thane. "Well, I for one think they are adorable," was her offhand comment as she accepted the cards passed to her with a smile that made Thane shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"Adorable!" Grunt and Jack said at the same moment, both looking to no end offended by such a 'cute' term used in reference to what they considered to be a mutually enjoyable sexual relationship and nothing more.

Eyes widened in all too innocent surprise, Kelly made an 'o' with her lips at the sudden violence of their protest before she smiled and shook her head. "I was talking about the Commander and Garrus. Don't you think it's sweet the way they always seem to be at each others side?" Ignoring the fact that Joker rolled his eyes as he popped open another frosted can of some Earth brand beer, she went on because Jack and Grunt seemed calmed by the change in subject. "You remember how he was when he first came on the ship, Jeff. Moody, reclusive, always calibrating something as an excuse to stay as far away from the rest of the crew as possible."

Jack snorted this time, as she showed her hand of three Aces with a nearly proud smirk. "So now instead of calibrating the ships gun, he's using those many hours of practice to calibrate Shepard's..."

"Personal terminal!" Joker cut in quickly, slapping the cards face down to fold as he raise one hand in greeting to the armored turian who had walked up behind Jack. "Right, Garrus? Yeap. Her personal terminal is always causing her trouble."

Garrus was wondering if he should be embarrassed, offended, or just amused as Joker pulled the lip of his hat down further over his eyes to avoid making eye contact as he coughed before taking a sip of his beer. He opted for a long moment of standing in a generally imposing stance that he had picked up in C-sec. It worked well at intimidating punks, and still seemed to work well enough at giving him an air of authority. Not that he expected it to work to intimidate this lot. Aside from Joker, no one else at the table really seemed to mind being caught in the conversation. Jack smirked over her shoulder at the ex-cop before launching into a string of curses as a grinning Grunt laid a full house kings over (of all things) Jacks on the table, Thane nodded in greeting while he calmly gathered the cards once everyone else at the table had folded to the victorious Krogan, and Kelly beamed a smile at him that made him wonder if she had the strongest facial muscles in all the known galaxy.

Would the novelty of their relationship, as Shepard put it, ever die down? Somehow he doubted it. While they were not the first turian/human pairing known, it was not something that happened often. Still, the fact that he somehow managed to walk in one someone yet again talking about his 'calibrating' with Jane made him slightly uneasy. But the longer their relationship continued, and the more real it became (sometimes he still wondered if he was going to realize that he had died in one of those many times he had come so close to it) the more relaxed he became. "Her personal terminal is working just fine, Mr. Mearu. As Jack was about to suggest, I spend hours a day monitoring every little detail. Sometimes three or four times a day. You could call it a... Passion of mine."

While he felt his own hide heating in a way that, thankfully, none of the humans in the room would notice, he still savored the various reactions from around the table. Kelly's light pink became an almost beat red compared to her normally pale complexion, Jack was grinning evilly because of the new ammo she had been given to use on Miranda, Grunt looked uncommonly pleased at the bold attitude his battle master's mate had taken on, Thane actually blinked twice quickly as the corners of his mouth twitched upward...

And best of all, Joker took to a fit of real coughing, spilling beer all over himself and half the table. "Oh my..." Coughing took him again before he could continue, and Kelly leaned over to pat him gently on the back as he worked the alcohol out of his wind pipe while Garrus watched and managed to keep his mandibles from twitching too much in all out amusement.

"The real reason I came was to see Yeoman Chambers," he stated, having trouble keeping the amusement out of his tone as he pushed ahead before Joker could recover his ability to speak. Feeling almost twitchy at the delighted and clearly eager look that Kelly shot in his direction upon hearing that he was looking for her, and that almost had him thinking about heading off to find another human woman instead. But never being a turian to back down in the face of danger, he keep his back ridged as he leveled his gaze on her. "I need some advice. I have no idea what a human would get his mate for her birthday..."

* * *

"And then he kissed me!" Shepard exclaimed, almost certain that she was being melodromatic in the telling of the story. But given the fact that the entire event had played out like a soap opera in her mind, she was sure that she could afford to be a tad over zealous in the telling. Not that her mother seemed to mind, or would mind. Since she had come on board, her mother had been central in her life again. Which had not been hard to accomplish, as Shepard found that venting to her was easier than she ever would have expected. "Like he had some right to do anything of the sort, he just laid one on me in front of God and everybody!"

The elder Shepard sipped her coffee as she watched her daughter from across the table, one brow quirked upward slightly. She remembered the letter the Jane had written her before catching up with Saren, and the mention of this Alenko had been brief but fond. Now the tone was more one of frustration. She didn't believe the her daughter held any true ill will towards the Staff Commander, but her idea of him was shifted far from what it had been before. "And?"

Jane paused as she was about to take a long swallow of her own coffee, looking at her mother with a brow that quirked upward in almost exactly the same manor. "And what?"

A small, secret smile played over her lips for a moment as she leaned over the table, as if expecting to hear some great secret. "And... How was it?"

"Mother!" Shepard said, and though her tone was shocked her voice was low. She leaned closer herself, but only to make a face as she set her coffee aside. "I was... I don't honestly know. I didn't really feel it, as much as knew things as it happened. There was no spark left, no flare of anything at all really." Chewing on her lower lip in an almost shy way that only seemed to come out around her mother or Garrus, she managed to shrug her shoulders as if unconcerned. "He was soft. Not his body really, but... All of him. His lips, his hands, his chest. If felt so wrong that I could only think about getting away from him, and when I did my first reaction was to return the kiss with the business end of my hand."

"He wasn't turian?" It was a question, a question that Captain Shepard felt that she already knew the answer too.

"He wasn't Garrus," Jane corrected lightly, leaning back again as she waved her hand in a general offhand manor. "Look mom, it's not like I walk the Citadel looking for hot turian men to fill my xeno fetish. It's not like that. They look like turians to me, and I won't lie and say that any of them look attractive to me. I see how they could be considered attractive now. I see the qualities that they consider attractive, and some that I am starting to find attractive myself. All right, fine," she gave as she saw her mother's arched brow at her own self contradiction. "Being with Garrus is giving me an appreciation for turians, but I still find human men attractive too. They're just... Not Garrus."

The soft way that she finished her minor rant had Hanna Shepard loosing her smile behind another sip of coffee before putting her attentive mother face on again. "I take it that Garrus was not very happy when he found out about this Alenko kissing you? You have told him, haven't you?"

"Told him? He was standing right there! I didn't know it at the time, or I would have given Alenko more than a bruised jaw," she added at the amused look in her mother's eyes. "I knew as soon as Alenko was more than two feet away from me, though. I had never seen him like that. Not in battle, not against Collectors, or Saren... Not even against the one who betrayed him."

Captain Shepard watched with amused interest as her daughter went into detail about the encounter between Garrus and her former lover. She decided that right about now, Garrus was talking to the the pilot. Using authority, charm, or simply using the fact that said pilot had forgotten Shepard's birthday as well to get him to change course. While she was distracted in the mess Jane wouldn't notice the slow turn, the change in direction. Playing the part of an interested mother was not that hard, given that she was very interested in everything that had happened to her daughter over the past few years. This allowed her to feel absolutely no guilt knowing that she was a distraction, especially as her daughter went into physical theatrics to describe the confrontation between the two men.

_This is going to be good,_ she decided as she settled back to listen.

* * *

_Short, I know. I think it is anyway, because there is a lot to cover in these chapters. But it has two parts and the next one is in the works. This was just the set up to the next part. Sorry for the long delay, I'll do my best to keep updates coming!_

_R&R!_


	18. Chapter 18 Shepard's Birthday Pt 2

Side note... I have changed the chaper to Chapter 18 to avoid having to change the name every time I post a story. Don't worry, no one has missed anything. ;)

And Part 2 of the birthday episode! Three parts I think.

I don't own Mass Effect or anything dealing with Mass Effect... Except for my copy of the game. Which I do own. I paid for it! Mine! ::Covets::

* * *

_"Flowers?"_

_"Sometimes. Sometimes jewelery, some people take vacations, though I don't see how that would be possible right now," Kelly amended as she watched the nervous turian with delight clear in her eyes. "Or how you would convince the Commander to take enough time off for a trip."_

_Jewelery, vacations, flowers. Those were things that it would be tough for him to afford, given his 'vigilante's salary'. At least those were better than her previous ideas involving erotic massage, sexy clothes and kinky role play. It was Shepard's birthday, not a sexual..._

_"Officer Vakarian, incoming transmission from Counselor Anderson in reply to your request," EDI interjected past his thoughts, causing him to blink once slowly as he glanced over at Yeoman Chambers._

_"Thank you Kelly. This has been helpful," he told her honestly as he stood, and made his way towards the elevators. "EDI, where is Commander Shepard?"_

_"Commander Shepard is in the armory," came the calm, monotone reply. "Would you like me to inform her..."_

_"No, not just yet," he ordered as he stepped into the lift and pressed the button to take him up. "Transfer the com to Shepard's cabin. I need a word with him in private first."_

* * *

He wasn't afraid of her reaction. _Liar. _He was only nervous about everything that he had set into motion over the past few days, some of which had yet to be confirmed. Not all of them had to do with her birthday exactly, but any one of them would be perfect in addition to what he had already managed to come up with. The least of his concerns was how Shepard would react knowing that he had ordered the course of the ship altered without her knowledge or consent. _Keep fooling yourself, Vakarian. You'll be lucky if she doesn't space you. Or at the very least make you sleep on the couch for a month._

There was nothing he could do about it now, he knew. They had already spent the better part of the day traveling towards their destination. It did help that he had Captain Shepard at his back, and he had Joker's part in all of it. Even Thane had promised to cover for him if Jane gave him any trouble. But now that they were coming into orbit around the planet that Jane had no idea they had even been heading for? He felt the twist in his gut as he wondered about how wise it had been to hijack the Normandy, even if it was for a good cause.

Now he stood in front of the elevator leading to the bridge, his back ramrod straight, his face kept impassive, wearing full armor as he waited for the lift to finish it's decent. He knew that Shepard was in it, because as soon as the ship had come to a stop in front of the frosty white ball of a planet rather than docking with the Citadel for the fourth time in as many weeks Shepard had called Joker demanding to know was the hell was going on. Now, as he had promised their eccentric and often annoying pilot, the turian stood between what promised to be one pissed off Commander Shepard and the cockpit.

Even though he felt a lurch of nervousness when the doors slid open, he stood his ground. He wasn't even sure if he was nervous because he had taken control of the Normandy, or because he hoped that she liked his present. But, what the hell. It was done already. It was easy enough to read the surprise on her face when she stepped out of the lift and found herself faced with her mate. A mate who was not wearing the same cobalt blue that he wore almost everywhere. It was having the desired effect, he could tell. The modified suit did not have the burns and scars of his other suit, and having been crafted to increase his agility (he was not longer the ambush predator that he had been on Omega. He was more often in motion than lying in wait on the missions with Shepard) while sacrificing little in the way of armor it was clearly crafted to fit closer to his body.

Had she not been wondering what the hell was going on, he had no doubt that her wandering gaze would have lingered on the hornet yellow and black suit longer than it did before her gaze lifted to his."Nice suit. Care to explain why _my _ship is not where I ordered it to be?"

Her clipped, no nonsense tone had him reflexively straightening his back further as he looked down at her with a calm that he didn't feel. At least her instant notice of his change of outfit had taken the wind out of her charge towards the cockpit. "Of course, Commander," he began calmly as he directed her attention to the display on the Galaxy map, where the snow white planet was displayed and every bit of information from mineral content to population was displayed. "This is Lardoria, as the Asari named it. I believe the Alliance once refered to it as a giant snow ball in space before they realized what the Asari used the planet for."

"What would that be? And what does it have to do with why we're not even in the same quadrant as the Citadel?"

She had come to stand beside him as he turned to face the holographic image of the planet, standing with her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes scanning the data. He gave her a moment to take in the... Unusually large population for the frozen world, as well as the net income. Which was larger then most mining colonies could boast in an excellent year. "Vacation," he said simply, keeping his eyes on the planet even though he could feel the heat of Shepard's gaze as she snapped her head towards him. "When they first found the planet, the Asari quickly noticed that what should have been a cold, still world had frequent and violent storms across the surface. Given the fact that the sun provides it with almost no warmth..."

"This is all very fascinating," Shepard cut him off swiftly. "but I am not interested in a history lesson and what do you mean vacation? Who is going on vacation?"

* * *

"Don't worry, dear," her mother soothed her gently as she watched her daughter shoving odds and ends into the carry all bag. "You'll have a wonderful time. I came here myself once, and the thermal springs are a wonder. You'll come back feeling five years younger."

"I don't know how I managed to let myself get talked into this," Shepard groused as she shoved toiletries into the side pocket of the bag, rounding on her mother suddenly. "We have genocidal machines heading into civilized space right now, and somehow I am expected to..."

"Take a vacation? Everyone needs a break, Jane. Don't forget to take something elegant," she added as she watched her daughter's frustration with understanding eyes. She knew the weight of command, responsibility all too well. She could not even imagine what a burden it must have been to carry the truth about the Reapers, and feel that she was the only one who could stop them. It was one of the many reasons that she had sought her out; to make sure that she understood that her own mother was with her, believed in her, and would join her in the fight. "You'll need something... Oh my!"

Distracted from the argument that had been rising and turning a questioning look towards her mother, Jane felt her cheeks burn when she saw what was being held up in her direction. Clearing her throat lightly, more items were shoved into the bag quickly. "What? I got it for Garrus, though I haven't had a chance to... You know... Use it."

"Mmhm," came the wordless, but wide grinned reply from her mother as she eyed the flimsy article. "It matches his tattoo. And you've yet to stun him with it?" Clucking her tongue in un-motherly disappointment, she moved over to the bag her daughter was packing and shoved the item in before protest could be given. "If I can't make you see the good points of taking a vacation, maybe he can once he sees you wearing that."

Rolling her eyes with a groan and a face that still felt sunburned, the daughter could find no good cause to argue with her mother for a moment.

* * *

"I still can't believe you hijacked my ship," Shepard muttered, as much to herself as to the turian standing beside her. Ranting was easy now that the shuttle had departed, and the Normandy was on course to the Citadel for resupply. Without her on it. "I still can't believe I let you _get away_ with it. I should have your ass thrown into the brig. Or at the very least make you sleep on the couch for the next month instead of running off to some luxury resort that's two miles under..."

Her voice trailed off when the lift from the dock finally came to a stop. When he had explained the layout of the resort to her, she had not expected what she was seeing. His detail had done it no justice. The simple size of it was beyond words, which was saying a lot coming from someone who spent a great deal of time coming and going from the Citadel itself. The cavern was beyond massive. Even the fact that every bit of was illuminated by lighting, not a bit of which she could locate, from where they stood she could not see any end in any direction. He had given her the general information on the resort itself. Founded two hundred years ago by Asari Matrons looking for relaxation in an otherwise demanding galaxy, the natural cave populated by hot springs on a world that was otherwise frozen and dead had been ideal. That solitude had lasted less than one hundred years, but obviously the Asari had done one hell of a job making the place welcoming.

Because it was a cave, that was no small feat. But the small, scattered buildings that she already knew were intended to house each guest rested on a landscape that consisted of soft green vegetation, occasional gardens, shops, and activities that were already under way. One of which drew her eyes, because it included something she had never seen before; a Krogan child.

Her eyes followed the small Krogan and the large battle scarred male who ran along side him, engaged in some game that at first glance reminded her of football. Football with a disk that was half the size of the child carrying it. While she was not one to stare slack jawed at anything, she did stare. She knew that Krogan were extremely protective of their children, and after the genophage she was certain that she had read somewhere that they were almost never allowed off planet.

Hand reaching to grab Garrus' arm, she tugged until he turned his eyes in the same direction. Though his own surprise was just as obvious as her own, both had their attention draw to the light, musical voice that came from beside them. "Precious, isn't he?"

When both of them had turned to face the drop dead gorgeous Asari, her smile widened a bit. "I know, it is so rare to see a child Krogan. We are honored to have him here. It allows a certain pride, to know that his father feels Lardoria safe enough to enjoy some relaxation with his only son. But we pride ourselves on our security, almost as much as we pride ourselves in our ability to help people forget the troubles of the galaxy at large." Her smile was turned to each of them, though it did linger on Shepard a moment longer, before she folded her hands in front of her and offered a graceful bow. "Welcome Jane, Garrus. I will be your personal attendant as long as you stay. My name is Seriisa."

The way that her eyes had singled her out, almost as if to make sure that she knew that she was the center of that statement gave Shepard the impression that this Asari was as perceptive as the Consort. It was a quick impression, but it was one that she was certain would stick as she rose again, and continued to smile. "Thank you," Jane managed after a moment, schooling herself for a lecture on how she should 'find peace and relax', still trying to decide if she liked having her first name used by a complete stranger.

What she got was another long look, before the Asari turned her gaze to the lift for a moment. "Your bags have been taken to your reserved habitat, and once you arrive I am sure that you will find everything you need. Should you require anything else, there is a VI attendant that will answer all of your questions and provide you with anything you desire. Anything beyond that, such as activities or time spent in the springs you may contact me about. The direct line to my communicator is programed into your terminal. But first, there is someone I think you might be interested in meeting."

When she walked (or seemed to float) around them, Jane cast a curious glance up at Garrus. The confused look on his face told him that he knew as much about this as she did, so both of them turned to allow their gazes to follow her as the Asari's calm voice was set about greeting someone else. An introduction that was cut short by an exuberant exclamation.

"Ohmygod! You're commander Shepard! And Garrus Vakarian!"

The voice had come from a slender young blond who had been looking nervously at the Asari who was greeting her. The moment her eyes had settled on Shepard, they had widened to the size of diner plates before she had squeezed the arm she had been holding hard enough to crack plates. Plates... On a very turian arm. Attached to a very turian male, who was looking at them with mandibles slightly slack in his own form of surprise before Shepard was all but tackled by a flying bundle of energetic excitement and pleasure. "I am soooo happy to meet you!" the young human rambled on as she squeezed as stunned Jane around the neck hard enough to make it difficult to breath. The embrace, thankfully, only lasted for a moment before she turned her attention to Garrus. Full armor or not, she jumped up the short distance required to do the same to him as the startled and still slightly shell shocked gunnery officer managed to raise one hand to pat her back. "Rallius, look! I told you the news report wasn't a fake!"

Jane swayed slightly after the hurricane of human glee moved away from them again, blinking twice when Garrus placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her. Or it may have been to steady himself as the blond moved back to the turian standing by the Asari still, jumped in on him in much the same manor, and planted a kiss directly on his mouth. Something that the young male responded too by wrapping his hands around her waist once her feet were back on the ground in a gesture that was as intimate to turians like himself as kiss on the mouth was to humans. Jane knew this very well, and exchanged another look with her mate before a smile that started small began to grow on her lips. They were...

"Mel," came the gentle rumble of the male's voice as the woman in his arms pressed into his chest, something that drew attention to the fact that he was wearing the classic colors of C-sec. It was then that she noticed the light tremor in the young woman's shoulders, followed by the soft hiccuping breaths which clearly indicated that she was weeping.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled, shaking her head and looking embarrassed even as the gentle talons of the turian who held her brushed away the tears that fell. Her sweet voice was thickened by emotion as she continued. "I'm making a mess of myself, I know. I'm just... I've always said that we're not alone, but I was even starting to have doubts that we would ever met anyone like us. And here you are, and it's just so good to know that we're not alone."

Jane was compelled by the joyful hope in the young woman's eyes even as they flooded with tears again, and found herself drawn towards her with arms outstretched. The offered arms were accepted, with a little less strangling force this time as she wrapped her arms around the other human. It came so easily. There was no fear of trickery, no wondering what the other pair might want from them, no doubt that they would be judged. Seeing Garrus and Rallius clasp arms in a traditional turian greeting of friendship, Shepard felt a flood of emotion that had her squeezing the young woman a little closer for a moment before both of them drew back and smiled brightly at one another. It all came so easily, because as much as she had never realized it before with the constant pressure of a galaxy on her shoulders, she realized it now.

It really _was _good to know that they were not alone.


	19. Chapter 19 Shepard's Birthday pt 3

Minor changes and fixes to this chapter updated.

_Sorry for the delay. After the ME3 trailer, I had to re-think all of the final chapters. _

_Light, easy tone to this one for the most part. Well, not really. I can't always be light. But sweet! Sexy too, as it should be when two lovers have their first real time alone together... Ever._

_Shepard's Birthday has one more chapter before things take a serious turn.  
_

* * *

"It seems to incredible sometimes," Melissa said as she curled up against Rallius on their side of the hot springs. "We were friends forever. It seemed like forever anyway. At first I wondered what he thought of me, because he was so proper. Always calling me ma'am, always wanting to talk about C-sec and one case or another that he had been working on. He seemed so... Militaristic."

"I am militaristic," came the light confirmation from the male who stroked her shoulders lightly. "It's a turian thing."

"Hm. So you would have everyone think," she retorted with a grin up at him, blue eyes sparkling as she patted his chest. "You're just a big, turian teddy bear."

When the younger male started to sputter in indignation, Garrus could hardly keep his mandibles from twitching in amusement. Even then, to do so he had to keep them pressed close and well controlled against the sides of his jaw. When Rallius passed him a glance, searching for help on the subject he gave a light shrug. A very human gesture he knew, but one that he was sure the other turian would understand. After that he cast a meaningful glance towards Jane, who was sitting behind him and caressing the skin along the back of his neck with wet fingers. Something that, very shortly, had him groaning and tilting his head forward. "Don't look at me for help," he said after a moment. "Pet names just seem to be a part of the package."

The light grunt of indignation didn't do enough to hide the affection in the gaze that the turian leveled on his human 'girlfriend' as she called herself. The look also didn't seen to cause much of a pause in her story, even if she leaned up to plant a kiss on his mandible.

"I didn't even know that he thought of me as a friend at first. He sort of freaked me out, being C-sec, following me around the way he did..."

"I was not following you around," he cut in, Garrus recognizing the frown in the set of the other male's mandibles. "We just always happened to be in the same place at the same time. We lived on the same ward after all."

"Well I thought you were following me around, which is why I stopped to talk to you that day..."

"Demanding to know why I was following you that day, even though I was not."

Garrus grinned with the turian found a small human hand clamped over his mouth, followed soon by a burst of giggles when he nibbled at the offending hand softly. "Will you be quiet and let me tell the story?" Mel demanded as she pulled his hand out of reach. She continued when a shrug was given, "So I confronted him, and he told me that he was not following me. And I found out that he had never had a meaningful conversation with a human, mostly because he looked like someone who was talking to the boggy man. So I asked. We were friends after that. He even came to my graduation from medical all the way on Cerius, which is where I started to get the idea that he was interested in more than just being my friend."

A soft snort from the turian had her grinning ear to ear, and the knowing look in her eyes told Garrus that she knew exactly what he had been thinking. "So after graduation one of my classmates, Mathew Thorton, found out that my station was on the Citadel not far from his. He saw that as a perfect opportunity to make a leap from class mates to romance. He was leaning up close to me," she continued, and Garrus noted that she had leaned in close to her 'boyfriend's' ear. Her voice changed tone too, becoming almost dreamy. He heard Shepard stifle a chuckle. "His face inches from mine, his breath warm. It tickled a little, and I felt very pretty because of how he was looking at me..."

"I had told you a dozen times that you looked nice that night," Rallius cut in, sounding mildly put off with a slight growl in his voice.

Mel grinned again, and Garrus supposed the way he shifted to show discomfort had ended her desire to tease him. "He didn't even seem to notice the very handsome, very possessive turian standing right behind him. Not until he started to growl, at least." She continued even as she fell into a fit of giggles. "I thought poor Mathew was going to wet himself when he turned around and saw Rallius standing there. I thought I might wet myself too, because turian physiology and culture was a part of my Citadel training. I knew that a turian males become aggressive in the presence of another male when they feel that their territory is being infringed upon."

Garrus could tell that Shepard was enthralled by the story they were being told, mostly because her fingers had stopped their gentle massage under his fringe. Something that had him nudging his hand back partly to get her attention back in focus, and partly because he wanted her to continue. He had to admit, he was enthralled himself. It was so completely different from how they had found their feelings for each other. Not that he expected them to have met while chasing down genocidal machines from the outer rim, but the effect was the same. It wasn't simply stress and strife that could bring two people like them together. It was a good feeling, he decided. "So what happened next?" he heard himself asking, even as Jane's fingers continued their gentle massage.

"I ran," Mel said, somewhat surprising them both with the answer. "Like a scared puppy. Ran back to the Citadel, and used the size of it to avoid him when he came looking for me. I had no idea what to do at that point. I had never even considered the idea that he might be interested in me _that way _and he's a turian. I didn't know how to handle it, didn't know what I wanted to do with it if anything. I just knew that it scared the hell out of me. It was six months before I saw him again."

"Six months, two week, three days, seven hours."

The blond woman pause for a moment as she lifted her eyes to the turian beside her. Garrus could see the surprise dancing in her eyes, so he closed his eyes to allow them privacy for a moment as he purred in delight as Jane started to scratch at the point where his neck met his mandible.

"You... Counted the time?"

He didn't seem uneasy in his reply, which didn't surprise Garrus. Turians had been a space fairing race far longer than humans, and a part of that had been separation from their families and those that they loved. The first turian to jump through a Mass Relay had counted the time he was apart from his wife down to the minute. After that, it had become so ingrained in them that most of them did it without even knowing it. Those who loved their mates, anyway. "I was separated from my mate," came his gentle reply. "It was hard not to realize how much time was passing."

With a gentle nudge from Jane, Garrus opened his eyes to find the blond and her turian lip locked. They both decided that then would be a good time to make a discrete exit.

* * *

Garrus came through the door with an expectant flutter of his mandibles. He had not really wanted to leave on the little outing with Rallius. He had intended the trip to be nothing but time well spent with Jane, and it was hardly two days in when she was forcing him out so that they could spend time separate from either other with their new friends. In truth, the time spent with the other turian had been enlightening and enjoyable. Unlike himself, the C-sec officer was almost the epitome of a "good turian' by most definitions. Carrier minded, devoted to his family, his people, and his mate. The fact that his mate was human didn't even seem to factor into that for him, something which had Garrus liking the other male more and more with every moment they spent together. He did not regret the trip with the other obviously love struck turian, though he could also admit that he was happy to see the younger male's back vanish behind the closed door of his own little slice of heaven as Jane put it.

And he had returned to his. Returned to his, and the sight of his mate standing in the kitchen with a cooking utensil in one hand and the handle of a pan in the other. It was enough to make him pause and wonder if he had stepped into the wrong cabin by mistake, and not simply because Jane Shepard, Savior of the Citadel, was standing in front of a steaming pan. It was also the fact that what she was cooking smelled _wonderful. _Hesitating for a moment as he made his way through the main room, he came to a stop just outside of the kitchen. Watching her with interested eyes, which followed her as she dished out the purplish meat onto one plate beside a pile of bright orange vegetables. He breathed in deeply, and his mouth instantly watered at the savory scents, a low purr rolling up in his throat.

That was all it took for her to notice him, and the pan was set aside as she turned to offer him what could only be called a shy smile. "Surprise?" she started, reaching down quickly top pick up the plate in both hands and walk towards him with it. "Melissa told me that she learned how to cook for Rallius, and offered to teach me. I thought it would be a nice surprise... To thank... Garrus?"

Her could see the trepidation cross her face when he didn't take the plate she offered him, and it was automatic pilot rather than a concious thought that allowed him to do so. He held the plate for a moment as his eyes remained fixed on his mate, the pleasure of such a simple thing making her seem so incredibly beautiful to him in that moment. When her smile bloomed again once he took the plate (he really was unaware of the fact that he had muttered something about it smelling delicious), he felt a surge of need like he had not experience since seeing her coming towards the main battery after returning from the Omega relay.

It was like things fell into place, somehow. Commander Shepard, the woman who had sworn as long as he had known her that she would never set foot in a kitchen for fear of starting planet consuming fires had cooked for him. Such a simple thing, but the bright shine in her eyes when she looked up at him... The pleasure in her shining eyes at his comment, the expectant expression on her face after he had taken the plate. She wanted him to enjoy it. Wanted to know that this small thing she had done for him would bring him pleasure. Like every little thing he tried to do for her, and every major thing he would do for her to show her how he felt, she had done this for him and no other reason.

She _loved_ him.

Small but long lingering doubts seemed to burn away into ash as he stared down at her for a long moment, unable to find the will to speak as the look of total adoration in her eyes became so clear to him. How had he missed that? The words had been spoken directly enough, but in a life where the short bursts of happiness were inevitably taken when things went wrong, there had been doubt. He had almost expected her affection and desire for him to be a passing thing, as the extranet said often happened in human culture.

_And here she was, _he thought as she reached up to brush her hands down either side of his face with concern at his silence. _This amazing woman that I in no way deserve, and she loves me._

"Shepard," he muttered in a low tone that had her smile wavering a bit as he set the plate on the counter. He did not allow that look to linger for long as he slipped one arm around her lower back to draw her closer to him, pressing his forehead against hers gently as he allowed his eyes to drift closed. This did not last long either. The need was there, as sudden and sharp as a slap to the face. He followed it without question, tilting his head to nuzzle his face past her hair until his teeth were allowed to graze the rim of her ear. She had been slightly tense until that moment, but the way her breath hitched and her body melted into him as the tiny nibbles continued seemed to ignite his body. He could be gentle with her, he knew. Even if desire was clawing at him, and his erection was already pressing into the now much too tight civies he wore, he could make himself be gentle. As if to prove it, still buried in the scent of her hair he allowed the length of his tongue to take a slow trip over the flesh just below her ear lobe. Commanding himself to be...

His tongue paused in mid stroke when he felt her hands. Heard the tiny whimper escape her mouth when one of those hands cupped his cock through his pants even as the other moved to unfasten them. How did she do that? He had almost managed to form the thought, wondering how she seemed able to read his needs so clearly even though he sometimes felt like a fumbling youngling when trying to read her own. But desire shattered his ability to think clearly when the buckle came loose, and her hands were both on him now. Squeezing the dark flesh until it ached as her mouth closed on the more sensitive areas of his throat, her voice a husky whisper of his name. His knees nearly gave way when that was followed by a sharp bite, an action that caused his blood to heat and his length to pulse lustily against her hand. She clearly had no intention of letting him take things slowly, and there was no part of him that could find reason to argue. His answering growl caused a shiver to race through her body, and a moan left her shortly after as his hands moved to repay the favor of unfastening her clothing. The loose fitting pants that she wore gave way easily to hands that grew more talented in undressing his mate with every day that passed, a pool of white cloth soon gathered at her feet as he shoved them down along with her panties without ceremony or concern for more than getting them out of his way.

He felt as much as heard the little gasp that escaped her when his hands claimed her hips, and he lifted her out of the pool of cloth around her feet easily. He didn't take her far, only as far as the cool surface of the table where they had shared breakfast that morning. He could not have taken her further if he had wanted to, the way she clung to him now. As soon as he lifted her from the floor her legs wrapped themselves around his hips, the balls of her feet pressed against the back of his armored thighs to draw him closer. The action itself almost made him stumble, and it was certainly enough to have him shoving her down until her back made contact with the surface of the table.

"Spirits..." The word was torn from his throat at the same moment that her cry of pleasure caressed his ears, because the moment her back had hit the table she had drawn him closer. But he had not been prepared for the fact that her grip on the hard flesh pulsing between them had positioned him to enter her, nor was he ready for the hot sheath of her folds as he slid into her to the hilt. Predatory gaze wide, the delighted growl coming from low low in his throat and arched himself up so that he stood over her. Presence of mind was the only thing that had his talons digging groves into the table at either side of her rather than scarring her flesh, but the eyes that were locked on his demanded more. Demanded as much as the hands that moved up over his chest in eager exploration, or the fingernails that dug into the softer hide behind his fringe to yank him closer until his tongue was dancing with hers. He'd known turian women that were less demanding, less feral than his human mate when she wanted him and the fact pleased him to no end.

As the need coursing through both of them demanded, neither one was gentle with the other. The expression of need and desire ran as deeply as the fact that it was born from an understanding of love, and they were insatiable. He took her hard, leaving her mouth only so that he could watch her face as he withdrew until hardly the tip remained before he drove himself into her again. Her cry of his name delighted him as much as the tight silk of her body did, and it was all the acceptance he needed to thrust again. Losing himself in the sensation, in the pleasure of being one with his mate his voice came out only in sounds that were a combination of growls and moans.

Her scent was musky and sweet in every breath that he took. Her flesh warm and soft against his hips every time they made contact. Her body tight and yielding all at once, demanding and compliant, smooth skin over battle hardened muscles. He could feel it rising already, that need to find release within her. His body demanded it, and he had a brief moment where he wondered how he could hold himself back long enough to ensure that she was not left wanting. That moment was quick to pass, however. So fast that it almost stunned him, Jane's back arched in a sharp bow that would have been impossible for him to mimic. Her thighs tightened around him, making it almost impossible for him to continue motion. He saw her pupils dilate, his mouth open in a moan that would have been soundless to a human. But he heard it, he savored it for as long as it lasted before the hands behind his fringe yanked him down until their mouths were crushed together. Had his mind been clear, he might have been concerned with the strength of the kiss. He knew that it would bruise her lips, but she didn't seem to care. And the moment when her sex clamped down on the full length of his cock when she came, he didn't have the ability to care either. He felt the sharp and almost painful flare of pleasure as he reached his own peak. Every time they made love, he was stunned by how much he could need someone and how _good _it felt when he gave into that need. It was beyond words, and he was blind to the world when the pleasure took him.

Coming back to the world was not a terrible thing because she was still there with him, and the passion was not a dream. Her heavy breathing and tiny whimpers of aftershock were met with his own throaty purring murmur of pleasure as he nuzzled his face into her throat. His mandibles tickled her shoulder as they fluttered in lazy delight, causing her to shiver against him again. Neither one of them seemed inclined to move. It was strange that such an odd position, him leaning over a table at the hips, could be so damned comfortable. She didn't seem to have reason to complain herself, even though his weight was no doubt almost fully pressed into her. She only lay there even after their breathing had leveled off, her hands moving to slide over the hard ridges of his cowl, the plates of his shoulders and arms and finally the softer hide under his fringe. Differing reactions to every area she touched had him sighing, moaning and purring in that order.

"I would ask what brought that on," came her voice at last, and he found that it could still stun him that it was Commander Shepard's voice who sounded so perfectly content. Jane's voice. "But there is this voice in my head right now telling me to shut up and cook for you more often."

He drew himself up slightly, but not away. Resting his elbows on either side of her, the talons that had torn inch deep groves into the table at either side of her were feather light as he ran them slowly through her now tousled hair. He almost considered joking about "Females in the kitchen being a turn on" but decided that he would avoid it. Better for his health. "You braved the horrors of the kitchen for me, and endangered every life on this planet to make me a meal. I think that speaks for itself."

She returned his lazy grin, still seeming unwilling to move as she reached up to slide her fingers down his mandibles slowly. "We already know I would face down a Reaper for you. I decided I would face the only thing more horrifying. Domestication."

He felt a swift clench in his chest at her words. She had, hadn't she? Faced off against Harbinger because she had thought he was dead, nearly gotten herself killed... For what? A turian vigilante without a dime to his name, no place to call home and...

"You're getting all serious on me, Garrus," her voice drew him back as her fingers tapped on his mandibles until his eyes cleared and returned to her. "Do I need to seduce you again to make you relax? I don't think it would be that hard, considering the fact that you are _still _hard."

"Again?" he added as he relaxed against her again, allowing his hands to slide through her hair until his talons grazed the tender skin along her neck gently. He had the pleasure of seeing her shiver again, followed by the tiny moan that escaped her when he very purposefully gave a slow grind of his hips against hers. "Who seduced who here?"

"Like you care who seduced who." Her voice was a light murmur against his plates as she leaned up to brush her lips over his chest. "My point being, I could seduce you. I know exactly how to seduce you."

"Is that so," was his chuckled reply, though he knew as well as she did that she could very easily seduce him. First time, or fifth time she could seduce him. "That sounds almost like a challenge to me. My turian sensibilities demand that you try. On principle of course."

"Oh of course," she nearly purred as she traced her hands down his sides slowly. Before he could think of what to do next, she moved. Flexibility was something that he had learned she excelled at, but even knowing this did not prepare him for the way that her hips shifted. Or the fact that her leg passed across his chest, passing over it as she flipped herself around so that she was now laying face down on the table. And he knew good and damn well that the grin on her face had been caused by the obvious throb of his length within her as she wiggled her rear back against him invitingly.

"Jane," he rumbled in an almost warning as she stretched her hands out over her head until she was gripping the far end of the table. Watching the muscles at play under her skin, dazed by the curves of her body so beautifully displayed before him. And knowing that her grip was one intended to do nothing less than brace herself and give him all the leverage he needed. It took only two heartbeats for him to give in.

"Consider me seduced," he rumbled at last, before taking his mate again.

* * *

It was quiet, as it always was here. Jane found herself having trouble sleeping without the steady hum of the ship surrounding her, but would not let that dampen her spirits. Tired she might have been, but happy. Happier than she could remember being in a long time. Even the Reapers, on their way into the systems, seemed distant for now. _Maybe mom was right, _she decided as she snuggled closer to the hot body beside her. _Everyone needs a break now and then._

The light shuffling of the turian beside her made her grow still, before she felt the gentle hand slide up her shoulder to draw her closer. Garrus almost never moved in his sleep, which could have been a turian trait. When he did, she was almost assured that he was not asleep at all. Confirming this, the gentle rumble of his voice carried through his chest where her cheek rested before it ever reached her ears. "Having trouble sleeping?"

She shifted a bit, drawing herself up over him as she rested her hands on his chest, and then her chin on the back of her hands. "I was just thinking about how nice this is," she spoke softly in the stillness of the room. "I'm glad you hijacked my ship and kidnapped me."

She grinned, knowing he could see more of her than she could of him in the near total darkness. She could only see the outline of his face, which at least allowed her to see the slight movement of his mandibles. "I'm ready for any punishment I may have in store once we return to the Normandy, Commander."

His teasing tone had her laughing for a moment before she leaned up and pressed a kiss to the scarred side of his face. Settling down again, she lay her cheek against his chest again. Just listening to the sound of his breathing for a long moment, enjoying the tiny tingles of pleasure his oddly textured hand caused as it moved up and down her shoulder.

"Do all turians do that?" she asked, keeping her eyes closed.

"Hijack star-ships?"

It was the seriousness of the question that had her laughing into his chest, swatting him playfully once the full laugh had become light chuckles. "No, Garrus. Do all turians count the time that they are separated from their mates?"

"Ah. Space fairing turians do, yes. It is a tradition since our first flight through a Mass Relay," he said, purring lightly when she ran her hands slowly along the hard plates of his chest. "If the two love each other, both will know how long they are apart."

She smiled at the sound, and the reply to the question as her hand moved up to slide down his scarred mandible gently. "So now that we're mates, if we are ever separated for any length of time? You'll know exactly how long we're apart?"

The silence that followed her question had her hand pausing on the side of his face, and her lips pausing an inch from the chest she had been intent on kissing. Raising her eyes to the outline of his face, she felt a small pang of fear that was just as quickly shoved aside as foolish. Still, she could not keep the slight tremble from her voice when she spoke again. "Garrus?"

What he said next had her breath catching completely in her throat.

"Two years, one month, one week, five days, seventeen hours, and fourty seven minutes."

This time his name fell from trembling lips, with a certainty of being loved that she had never experienced before. And a certainty that he could taste the tears when her mouth was crushed to his, never straying far well into the next day.

* * *

_Someone had to use the "Consider me seduced" line at some point, since in my story Shepard doesn't use it. :) The ending came to me in a flash as I was writing the love scene. Hope you guys like. The story of Mel and Rallius' relationship will continue next chapter.  
_

_R&R!_


	20. Update! The Story Continues

Hello Mass Effect Fans!

I know I have been silent for a long time. I have been working, busy busy. I also (as I noted before) paused the story because of the pending release of Mass Effect 3. I have some notes I would like to point out before getting to the point of this update.

#1: Mass Effect is the best continuing series of games EVER.

#2: Mass Effect 3 kicks major ass on so many levels that I was delightedly laughing, angrily cursing, arm pumping and frantically pushing the shoot button.. In the first 15 minutes!

#3: Bra-fucking-vo Biaware, for making the Garrus/Shepard romance so amazing that I shed a tear. You had this final game to make it a deeper, more important romance than just a once night stand. And you did so without disappointing me for a second.

#4: Note the love in the fact that Garrus was, Again, one of the first people you could recruit. Bioware knows how awesome he is.

#5: Anyone happen to notice how the Garrus in the game became a bit more like the Garrus in my stories? Romantic, a little more sure but still awed by Shepard? I wonder if someone in development was reading... ::Snicker!:

#6: I missed on purpose. All Garrus lovers will know what I mean.

#7: I have heard rumors that people think the ending sucks. I am not sure what they think sucks about it, but I rather liked it. Of course... Being the Mass Effect addict that I have been, the first ending I played was the "Perfect" ending, where you have hints that Shepard lives\

And that final point leads me to this update. I will continue Always Be There very soon. I will start writing tomorrow in fact. As with the start of the story, I will start it from The End of Mass Effect 3 rather than try to rewrite what was the most epic game and story experience every devised by the minds of men. I know what some people are saying... The distance between stars without the Mass Relays takes time to travel, and Garrus along with the rest of the Normandy crew were crash landed on a planet in some unknown star system. How will they find each other? Read and find out!

Don't forget... Reviews are crack to us writers. So review! Oh... And...

#8: At the risk of sounding like technophile... EDI's new body is smoking hot. I wish I were a wall!


	21. ME 3: Chapter 1 Lost

_Ok, Turrians and Asari out there. Starting almost instantly after the End of Mass Effect 3. I decided not to continue from where I was previously due to obvious conflicts with ME 3. I will keep it all under the same story, however so no one gets lost._

_Now... My chosen ending to ME 3? Synthesis. Mwhahaha. Why? Because I've figured out how it would work to become part synthetic/organic, and I think it's pretty damned cool._

_Also, I figure it might solve some... ::Cough:: Issues that I avoided before because I do like to make things as realistic as possible. I will say no more on that subject, but start (continue) the story. This will be a short start I think, to kick things off in the direction I want them to go._

_And there will be scars. ME 3 was way to intense for their to be no scars._

_Dear Bioware. I no longer want a pet Reaper. I realize now that my request would have been hard to fulfill given the fact that the Reapers were engaged in a battle for Earth. In the place of the pet Reaper, I would instead like a pet EDI. Thank you for your consideration.  
_

* * *

"I'm still getting used to the eyes. I mean, I know I still see the way I did before, but I'm not sure about the whole 'information processing' thing. It's not that I need to see 'Garrus Vakarian, Turian Male' your height, your weight, what you had for breakfast this morning..."

Listening to Joker ramble, even when he used air quotes to emphasize what he was saying was more like background noise than anything else. Paying attention was easy enough. It seemed that every member of the Normandy had gained a perfect memory from... Whatever had happened to them. If he wanted to know what was being said, he would be able to pull it up like pulling a file from a computer. His gaze was settled on the Normandy, looking over the damage that had been caused by the crash. There were entire sections of the ship missing. Including both port side thrusters. As he was learning could often happen when he focused hard enough, information started to scroll through his vision. He had adapted to it more quickly than most of the others. It worked in a very similar manor to his visor.

The information he had called up was directed at what would be needed to repair the ships hull. Raw materials, measurements, man power, energy requirements. Most of which he had serious doubts they could manage to acquire. The fact that he was naturally pessimistic (he liked the tear realistic, but he followed Jade's lead this time) hadn't changed at all. In fact, outside of the physical, no one seemed to have changed.

"But I can almost feel my body fixing itself. Watch this, watch this!"

Feeling obligated to comply, Garrus turned his eyes towards the human. Blinking once as he watched the man who had been crippled from birth jump three times. Nothing that would have been surprising for a normal human, but for someone with his condition the Turian expected bones to shatter right before he crumpled to the ground in agony. Blinking slowly when this didn't happen, he couldn't resist the grin that flared his mandibles when Joker let out a laugh that was as delighted as a child's. And then winced as he sat down to rub his shins.

"Ok, so I'm not perfect. That's not the point! I can walk! I can jump! Give me a few weeks and I'll be able to run around shooting random bad guys with the rest of you."

"You should not push yourself, Jeff," EDI's calm tone chimed in, though even that was edged with warmth. "We're not even sure if this change is permanent, or if it is simply a short term side effect of activating the Crucible."

Garrus tuned them out again as he turned his attention to the Normandy again, his gaze shifting to Tali as she climbed out of the airlock. "How does she look?" he called, making his way towards her with some kind of hope in his eyes.  
Hope that dropped when she shook her head slowly, turning to face the Normandy herself.

"It would take a miracle just to get general systems back on line," she said honestly. "We might be able to get the lights working by hooking up power cells, which will at least let us work. Anything beyond that would take months... If we can do anything at all. I'm not even sure we can get the core back online the way things look now. Unless we stumble across something more likely to produce a mass effect field than trees and rocks. It would be like building a star-ship from scratch. Years. Maybe."

_Meet me at the bar..._

Damn the bar. Shepard was alive.

"I don't care how long it takes."

* * *

"I don't care how long it takes!" Shepard muttered, her eyes burning into the white haired soldier sitting beside her bed. All of the good deeds she had struggled to finish with so little support seemed to be paying off now in the end. She had been given the highest level of care available to anyone in a galaxy where worlds had been shattered, trillions were dead, and no one really knew what the future held. She couldn't say that she didn't appreciate it. When they had found her, they had almost given her up for dead.

Dumb luck. One breath. It was all it had taken for the crew searching the rubble to find her. What had been left of her, anyway. She still wondered if it was not a side effect of the... Synthesis that made it possible for her to survive at all.

"Shepard, the relays were destroyed," Hackett patiently explained again, knowing full well by this point that she didn't care. "We're still working on getting communications up with the rest of the galaxy. We're not even sure if..."

"The Reapers," she interrupted suddenly, trying to sit up in bed.

Hackett pressed one hand to her shoulder, and in a way that showed her exactly how weak she really way right now gently pushed her back. "We're not sure what's going on with the Reapers. They left the planet's surface, and retreated from the battle. We know where they are, and they know where we are. They still out number, and outgun us. But even as they withdrew they stopped firing. And right now, they're just out there. Silent."

Laying back with a slow sigh, she closed her eyes tiredly and gave a slow nod. "They won't attack again."

"Are you sure, Shepard?" he gently demanded, leaning down to look down at her.

Strange. The glowing eyes. The color was the same, the emotion in them could clearly be seen. But it was impossible to ignore the fact that they were not entirely... Human now. The same eyes that she saw when she looked into the mirror. Not that being only part human mattered in her case. She had been implanted with so many cybernetics after Cerberus rebuilt her that she had often wondered if she were more machine than woman. It was an old argument, and one that she was used to having with herself. Still, it gave her no comfort to realize that every living thing would ask themselves the same questions that had tormented her this past year.

But things remained the same in many ways. She could still feel as she had felt before. She could taste, well enough to know that she still hated hospital food. She could smell well enough to know that as soon as they let her stand, she wanted a shower. She felt her heart beating when she rested her hand on her chest. She knew that she was not a machine.

"I'm sure. I... Did this. I told you, my choice," she said sternly at his uncertain gaze. "It might not be exactly what everyone was expecting to happen at the end of this war, but it is. It was the only choice I was given that would ensure lasting peace. And when I did, when I stepped into the light, I could hear the Reapers. They have no need to fight us anymore. They have no desire to."

"That is good news at least." They were silent for a moment, and she watched as he turned his eyes towards the window beside her bed. Staring out at the blue gem that was their home. One planet. One planet in a galaxy of thousands, and they had survived. Life would go on. "It is strange. When the Reapers were withdrawing, no one even suggested that we follow them and take advantage of their sudden pacifism. And even now. We've made plans to defend ourselves if they do decide to attack again, and plans to rebuild. But no one has put forward an idea to send the fleets to finish the job."

"It makes sense," she consider, thinking out loud more than actually replying to a question that was never asked. "If what I feel is true, they are as organic now as we are synthetic. 'If we prick them, do they not bleed?' Something like that. Strange..."

Her mind was drifting again as sleep started to claim her. It was interesting. She could recall every detail of his face into her mind as if looking at an image on a screen. That cocky Turian grin, those predatory eyes, the way he tasted when they had kissed the last time. The memory was so clear and pleasant that her lips curved into a smile even as she slipped into the dark.

* * *

_What do you want?_

_"I don't understand." She didn't understand. She was standing in the forest again, only now the forest was alive and breathing. The charred trunks, the smell of death... The lifeless feeling that had surrounded her before was gone. So were all feelings of dread, hopelessness, and uncertainty. It was calm, and she breathed in the wind as it rustled the leaves sparkling green at the end of each and every branch.  
_

_"What do you want?" The voice was the child's again, and when she turned to face the voice she found herself looking down at the same glowing figure she had encountered in the Crucible.  
_

_"What do I want?" she replied, frowning as she tried to grasp the meaning. "I have what I want. The Reapers have stopped. What am I doing here? Am I dreaming?"  
_

_"In a way," came the stoic reply from the not-child. "I called you here because you are the Catalyst. And you want something, but are not letting yourself reach it."  
_

_"I thought you were the Catalyst," she muttered, looking down at her hand for a moment as if expecting to see herself start glowing ghostly blue/white.  
_

_"I was the Catalyst. Once you gave your genetic material to allow the Synthesis, you became the Catalyst."_

_The simple explanation seemed to be enough for the moment, because she didn't feel the need to question that further. Instead, her gaze lifted to the not-boy in front of her again. "I just said..."  
_

_"You believed it was your duty to stop the Reapers. You wanted to save the galaxy, yes. But that has been done. And now you need to know what you want."  
_

_Silently she considered the words, and the question again. "I want.. Peace. You said that it would last if I did this."_

_With a patience she doubted that she herself lacked, the boy looked on her as calmly as ever. Reaching out, the glowing blue hand touched her lightly. She felt no desire to withdraw, no fear of what might happen when the touch came. When it did come, it was as warm and gentle as one might expect from flesh and blood. Which in mind, confirmed the fact that she was dreaming. "That is what you wish for the galaxy. For a moment, forget that anything else exists. Forget what has been asked of you, and forget what you feel you should answer. What do _you want_?" _

_In silence, she lowered herself to her knees in the soft grass to come face to face with the boy. When there was nothing else in her mind, when she was completely honest with herself, there was only one answer that mattered._

_"I want Garrus."  
_

* * *

"This is Hackett," came the voice through the com she had requested. "Shepard, I hope you're not out of bed again. The doctors tell me you're recovering quickly, but that won't last if you keep trying to..."

"I'm not out of bed, sir," she replied with a slight sigh. She was telling the truth. She had been laying away for the better part of two hours, just staring up into the darkness with eyes that could ironically see right through it. "I have a request that is going to sound strange."

There was only a short pause before the reply came though. "At this point, Shepard, you could ask the combined Alliance fleets to sing an Asari lullaby and they would. I'm sure that more than a few Krogan would join in, too."

A wisp of a smile crossed her lips as she gave serious consideration to that option. "That would be something, sir."

She had struggled with herself about it. The memory of what had been a dream was very clear in her mind, as were the words of the Catalyst. Former Catalyst if what it had said was to be taken at face value.

She would risk it. She would risk anything.

"I need a message to be sent to the Reapers."

The longer pause that followed made her wonder if there was actually a chance that her request would be denied. Given her history with requesting help, needing help and being turned down by her most obvious sources there was a small part of her that almost expected it at this point, no matter what the Admiral said.

"What do you want the message to say?"

She released a slow sigh at the simple reply, and she knew the tone. He wasn't asking her for security reasons, or questioning why she wanted to send the message. He simply needed to know what the message to send.

"Tell them that Commander Shepard wants to meet." The pause that followed was her own. A moment that she needed to take a breath, and steel herself for something that she never in all of her life expected she would actually want to do.

"With Harbinger."

* * *

_And so it begins! I choose my ending based on what I felt would best allow me to continue my story as I saw fit. And so I shall. Not sure how quickly the updates will come, but they will come._

_Review, people. Review, or I'll unleash Javik on you all!_


	22. Indoctrination Theory

_Alright, my Turian and Asari friends out there... It is time we had a little talk about the Indoctrination Theory that I have been PMed about and seen in reviews for my story. Please forgive me if I should a little like a smart ass as I write this. I am not the biggest fan of conspiracy theories._

_First, I am aware of the theory. I know every detail of each game that leads people to this theory. I have watched videos, read blogs, checked the details for myself..._

_And found them lacking, and for a large part desperate. To quote one article I read on the subject of why fans came up with it to begin with:_

_"It's also a fascinating example of not liking something so much that the only way to deal with it is to deny that it ever happened."_

_I am not by any means saying that it may not be true. The evidence is there, IF you look at it in just the right way to see it as what you want to see it without actually looking at the facts. The simple fact is, Bioware did not plan this ending this way because they had no idea how the general public would react negatively. So it is very doubtful that they planned an entire series of games and played it allllll out to come up with a twist ending that can only be proven if you arrange the facts in a certain order to make them seam true. This can be said of various things. I.E. The World Trade Center, The Moon Landing, and Global warming._

_Me? I see some of the points that are given as interesting, but not absolute. And in some cases I see them as a grasping attempt to make it seem true beyond the basic points that may have lead to the original theory._

_Let me give you some of the facts that I have seen in the games that disprove what is being said. This is all from memory of ONE play through of the last game. I have done no research:_

_#1: Both Prothean VIs knew it. Focusing on ME 3, The Prothean VI at no point thought Shepard was a security threat. It was programed to actually shut itself down when it detected signs of indoctrination. This was seen when the assassin showed up. From over 40 feet away (give or take. Just an estimate) it detected it, and shut down to avoid it. Given this level of sensitivity, it goes without saying that if Shepard had even begun the process of being indoctrinated, it would have picked up on it._

_#2: The colors of the end choices match the actual outcome, not the opposite of the outcome as the theory states. Blue: Paragon. Everyone lives but Shepard. Self sacrifice at it's best. Red: Renegade: Shepard lives, organics live, ALL AIs perish. Self serving, violent, thoughtless solution that is Renegade from back to front. Green: Synthesis. The new solution introduced by the Crucible. Neither Paragon, nor Renegade. A long term, totally off the wall method of solving the problem in a way that NO ONE to that point had thought of. If taken at face value, this means that the Crucible was not a weapon so much as it was an idea that needed to be seen. Even the Catalyst said it. "The fact that you are standing here, The first organic ever, proves it." Something had changed._

_#3: Everyone that was indoctrinated was in very close, long term contact with Reaper Tech. Long term. Shepard did missions in the area of Reaper Tech, he battled Reapers now and then, but at no time did he allow himself or his crew to spend longer than was needed in the area. The process of indoctrination, as the game defined it, is a slow process for long term effects. If you gather the data and really count the length of time that Shepard was in the area of Reaper Tech, it comes to about 7 or 8 hours total. People with weaker minds, such as the research techs that studied the derelict Reaper, lasted for days or weeks in constant contact with an actual Reaper before they gave into it._

_#4: I add this as someone who has Javik as a team member. Javik was a Prothean who had first hand experience with indoctrination. While this is DLC, he is still a very well integrated character, with a lot to say when he's in your party. He said nothing about Shepard being indoctrinated or acting in a manor that would suggest he was._

_#5: Big point here. People being indoctrinated suffer headaches. Not once in the game does Shepard have a headache, until The Illusive Man takes direct control of his mind. Hell, I think he should have headaches all the damned time. Saving the galaxy is a stressful job. If anything, I think the maker of the game were trying to AVOID giving anyone the idea that he was being indoctrinated._

_#6: The Theory states that the Reapers would have sent more than one of themselves to stop Shepard from reaching the beam. However, they neglect to mention the fact that the Fleets were directed to attack the Reapers in a way that would Prevent that very thing from happening, AND there was a Reaper on the surface protecting said beam from ground attack. Clearly, they did not expect this Reaper to be destroy, as it was only after that happened that one Reaper pushed through to reach the surface and take up the fight. The Reapers around earth were in direct combat on multiple fronts. It doesn't surprise me at all that only one of them made it to the surface before Shepard reached the beams._

_#7: The Theory states that when Shepard was almost at the beam, he froze when the Reaper beam was coming towards him, like he was being control. Are they retarded? Clearly, they have never been in anything like combat. When energy of that level strikes anywhere near you (Use a simple hand grenade as an example) it STUNS you. And that laser was no more than 10 feet away from Shepard when it struck. Think of it as a Super Flash Bang._

_#8: The Theory states that the Citadel that Shepard sees at the end is a product of his own mind because it has elements of some of the random places he had visited before: Collector base, the Shadow Broker's ships, etc, etc. Um... This one makes me laugh. When you walk around a world as large as Mass Effect, when do you not see what people refer to as 'recycled backgrounds?' They are used so that the development teams don't have to spend months and months making entirely new backgrounds for every single place that you visit. And, Shepard does state "This reminds me of the Collector Base." Which makes perfect sense, because it was being used to process the people taken there just like the Collector Base had been used. Remember people, the Citadel was created by the Reapers. Their plan had always been to use the Citadel as their first strike point. Which meant they needed somewhere to process the people that lived ON the Citadel. Make sense? Of course it does! Besides, the ease with which the Reapers moved the Citadel to begin with means that it was meant to be moved. It may well have been what they used for Processing all along. That is a theory, however._

_#9: The "Secret Ending", where there are people in the future talking about how Shepard saved the galaxy, etc etc. This ending comes no matter which choice you make. This ending does not say "Shepard tried and failed." It does not say "We're all Reapers." It says Shepard saved the day, stopped the destruction of that Cycles species, and life moved on._

_#10: Something this big, this huge, this game changing for such a well known and beloved series of games... Would have leaked. Someone would have said something to someone's sister after banging her, and that sister would have told a friend, who would then tell another friend who had a Twitter or Facebook account. And it would have been put somewhere at some point so that we would have been able to find it before this entire thing came out. It's the way these things work._

_In closing, the fact is that I could go on forever. I really could. There are dozens of other facts that I considered added, but I won't. There is a ton of really strong evidence against this Theory, but people who want to believe it because they hated the ending will continue to believe it. And they will continue to sight the same things to prove it to themselves. Who knows? Maybe EA, Bioware, or whoever is making the games now will actually pick up on the idea. Then to make themselves appear smart (Derp) they will say it was their idea all the time when they do or do not use it to "fix" the end of the game. Something that I don't understand anyway, because I thought the ending was great in many respects._

_I chose the ending I choose because I do not believe in the Theory. I played all three endings. How did my Shepard survive? I will get to that as the story continues. But the focus remains the same. This is Fan Fiction, folks. Not everything in Fan Fiction has to follow exactly how the game ended, the story went, or the characters were designed. I am pretty sure Shepard was never bent over a kitchen table at a resort and fucked silly by Garrus in the story line of the actual game. Hell, the first chapter of my story goes against the actual game, because I wanted it to be more intense than I figured Bioware was capable of giving us. Though I am sure there are a lot of fans out there who would love to see Garrus pinning Shepard to a wall in a fit of passion played out in the game. I know I would!_

_That is all. Input is welcomed as always. The story will continue very soon!_


End file.
